Little Pine Seed
by TheEarthbendingRavenclaw
Summary: A year ago the Pines family grew a member when Dipper and Pacifica got married. Now the family is about to grow once again.
1. Day 1

**Day 1:**

The sound of a seagull caused Pacifica to stir and open her eyes. Sunlight stream through the porthole window of her's a Dipper's bedroom aboard the Stan-O-War, blue from being filtered through the water of the Port of Istanbul. She sighed deeply as the gentle rocking of the ship and the warmth of her husband's sleeping body lying next to her lulled her into relaxation. She thought about turning over to watch Dipper sleep, but before she could she felt him stir. He yawned and began tracing squiggly shapes onto her back, bare thanks to the low-back night gown she was wearing. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, simply enjoying this peaceful moment.

They'd been married for about a year: just long enough to get comfortable with one another, but not long enough to be bored with each other. At this point they doubted they would ever be bored of each other. All the more reason that, when give the opportunity to have the Stan-O-War to themselves for a few days they snatched it up. Stan And Ford were having to fill out all kinds of custom papers inside the city to be allowed to bring a set of curse diadems they'd found buried amongst some ruins back to the United States. Stan had suggested just sneaking them out in the couch cushions of the yacht, but Ford was firmly against it.

Not that Dipper or Pacifica minded. Not when they got a whole week to themselves.

Dipper stopped tracing designs on her back, and began running his finger through her hair, gently working out the knots and tangles before taking a strand in his finger and braiding it. Turned out being married to the twin brother of Mabel Pines, arguably the craziest girl on planet earth, had its perks. Pacifica let out a small sigh of contentment as her husband continued playing with her hair.

"Princess? You awake?" Dipper asked.

Pacifica froze and tried to keep up the facade that she was sleeping. She liked it when Dipper would lazily draw pictures on her back and weave tiny braids into her hair when he thought she was still sleeping after a night of fun.

Dipper pushed her hair over her shoulder before gently brushing his lips against it.

"Hm? You awake?" he breathed against her skin. She tightened up slightly, trying her best not to let on that she was faking it. He, however, was making it hard maintain the act as he'd started pecking neck with small, soft kisses.

"You're faking it, aren't you?" he whispered teasingly into her ear before planting a kiss right where her jawline met her neck, where he knew she was sensitive. Pacifica gasped, despite her best efforts to keep up the game.

"I knew you were faking it," Dipper smiled before blowing raspberries onto her neck, causing her to erupt into a burst of giggles. He then began poking her under her arms and on her stomach.

"Dipper!" she squealed as she tried to squirm away. "Stop!"

"Nope!" Dipper chuckled as he continued to tickle her. She finally wriggled her way out of his grasp and jumped out of the bed.

"Hey," Dipper whined as he grabbed her arm. "Come back here."

"So you can tickle me again? I think not!"

"Please?" he begged, tugging at the hem of her nightgown. "I just want to hold you for a little while."

Pacifica gently swatted his hand away. "You and I both know you it will be more than just holding."

"And that's a problem, why?" Dipper grinned slyly.

"We promised the Grunkles we'd reorganize the files in the office if we came back early," Pacifica reminded him.

"Eh," Dipper shrugged. "We've got seven days to get to that."

"And tomorrow you're going to say 'eh, we've got six.' Then the next day you'll say 'eh, we have five." And then four, and then three…"

"Yeah, probably. But-"Dipper sat up on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling her close. "We haven't exactly gotten to spend a lot of time to just ourselves recently, so let's take advantage of it."

Pacifica sighed and rolled her eyes. "You they'll kill us if we don't hold up our end of the deal."

"They sent newlyweds to spend a week by themselves on a yacht, they knew what they was getting himself into."

"Maybe, but still, we have to reorganize that mess at some point and if we don't do it now it will only get bigger."

"Ugh!" Dipper leaned his forehead against her stomach. "You sound like Ford!"

Pacifica chuckled at him and ran her fingers through his hair, making sure the scrape her nails against where his hairline met his neck, where she knew he was sensitive.

"You are not helping your case doing that, you realize that right?" Dipper asked, his voice muffled against her belly.

"Nice try, but you're not winning this one," Pacifica playfully pushed him off of her and back onto the bed before turning and searching through her drawers for a pair of panties and leggings.

"Ugh! No fair!" Dipper whined.

"Aw, stop your whining," Pacifica retorted as she stepped into her leggings and pulled her hair into a messy bun at the top of her head. "I'll make it up to you tonight."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Dipper warned her.

"I wouldn't expect anything less. Now get dressed, we have work to do."

"If you say so Mrs. Pines."

"I do. Hop to it."


	2. Day 8

**Day 8:**

"I thought we told you to organize the office, not tear it to pieces!" Ford scolded the minute he saw Dipper and Pacifica seated on their desks, sorting through piles of paperwork.

"In order for us to get organize we have to know what we're working with," Dipper explained. "Which means emptying the filing cabinets right?"

"You could have done it one drawer at a time, you know that, right?"

Pacifica and Dipper exchanged glances before Dipper began scratching at the back of his neck. "Yeah, that probably would have worked better."

"Heh. Kids, am I right?" Stan elbowed Ford in the shoulder. "Now, just 'scuse me while I step over y'all and put these diadems in the safe."

"Don't drop them, Stanley! We don't know what they'll do if-"

"Yeah, yeah," Stan waved his brother off as he punched in the code to open the safe and tossed the diadems inside. They caused a small, green explosion that burst into Stan's face. He froze and began wildly looking about the room.

"Um, Grunkle Stan?"

"Bock, bock, bock! Ca-CAW!" Stand began waving his arms around wildly and running about the room.

"Chicken brain?!" Pacifica shouted as she jumped out of his way. "That's new!"

"Actually it's not," Dipper sighed, seeming totally unfazed by his great uncle brain scramble.

"I'll start brewing the potion, you two get him under control," Ford sighed as he slumped off.

Dipper closed the safe and then took off his t-shirt to throw over Stan's head. Stan ducked out of the way, though, causing Dipper to trip over a stack of papers and into the floor.

"Oh! Babe are you okay?" Pacifica asked as Stan waddled out of the office.

"I'm fine, get him before he falls overboard!" Dipper answered.

Pacifica ran out of office to chase after her great-uncle-in-law. Stan waddled about the deck, clucking and waving his arms like wings.

"Erm...Grunkle Stan...how you doing?"

"CA-CAW!" Stan began running towards the railing of the ship.

"No!" Pacifica called, grabbing his arms and dragging him away. "No, let's not jump off the deck, let's just go back in the office and have a seat."

"Bock. Bock. Bock. Ba-gawk!"

Stan began banging his head against the living room wall, as if he were pecking at it.

"No. No. That's not food, Grunkle Stan, come on." Pacifica tried to pull him towards the office, but he was fascinated by the pattern of the wall paper.

"Grunkle Stan, c'mon! Dipper, I can't get him to move!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Dipper called. He ran out of the office, his t-shirt still in his hands. He threw the shirt over Stan's head, and he immediately stopped pecking as squatted down into the floor.

"Um...okay?" Pacifica arched an eyebrow.

"For some reason that keeps him calm," Dipper explained with a shrug. "Beats me why. Found out third time this happened in-"

Pacifica was no longer listening. She was distracted by her shirtless husband. He didn't have a six-pack like bodybuilders or movie stars did. There was definitely muscle there, though. Lean muscle that hypnotically rose and fell with each breath he took.

"Hey!" Dipper set a hand under Pacifica's chin and tilted her face up towards his. "My eyes are up here, lady!"

"Sorry if I can't help myself," Pacifica twirled her hair, playfully playing innocent. "You are irresistible."

"Well, thank you. But I'm more than a pretty face."

Pacifica giggled at him. "I know, but I still like to look at you."

"Oh, do you?" Dipper arched an eyebrow in a flirty manner.

"I mean, I did marry you, didn't I?"

"For more than my looks I'd hope."

"Yes, but the fact you're sexy helps."

"Me? Sexy?" Dipper took a step back. "You sure you're feeling well, Pacifica? You're starting to scare me."

"Stop it," Pacifica playfully poked him in the chest. "You know you're attractive."

"Not as attractive as you're making me out to be."

"So you admit you're attractive," Pacifica place her palm against his bare chest. Dipper rolled his eyes as he set his hand over hers.

"What are you trying to do, Princess?"

"You know what I'm trying to do."

"Yes, and you've had a whole week of me to yourself and you chose to go through paperwork."

Pacifica gasped as she playfully smacked him in the arm. "No fair throwing that back at me! I was just trying to do my job!"

"Uh-huh, sure," Dipper put his arms around her and pulled her towards him. "And I'll do mine, you can be sure of that."

"Please, all you've done is complain about Ford and Stan getting to spend time studying the diadems while you were stuck doing office work."

"I wasn't talking about doing my job as a paranormal investigator."

"Then what were you talking about?"

"I was talking about doing my job as a husband."

"Oh?" Pacifica's eyebrows raised in excitement.

"Mm-hmm," Dipper leaned his forehead against hers.

"You'd think the two of you would have gotten that out of your system after spending a week alone," Ford muttered as he walked into the living room with a potion in hand. He jerked the t-shirt off of Stan's head, tilted his head back, and poured the potion down his throat. Dipper and Pacifica blushed at Ford calling them out. The old scientist shook his head at the whole scenario: his brother getting chicken brain...again! His great nephew and wife getting too distracted by each other to get any work done.

"Well, if you two must you must. I'll be sitting up here babysitting Stanley until the potion takes effect, so go ahead, take advantage of it, and then get back up here and help me clean up the mess you guys made in the office."

"In our defense, we got one file cabinet organized that way," Dipper pointed back.

"And we have three more to go through!"

"Did you really think we'd get through them all in a week."

"No, but I was hopeful. Now go get it all out of your system so you can actually be productive."


	3. Day 14

**Day 14:**

The house Dipper, Pacifica Stan, and Ford shared in Maryland wasn't really much to look at. To be perfectly honest they didn't spend a lot of time there. They only used it for when they were in between expeditions and Gravity Falls. Ford was currently trying to set up an internship program with Lone Gate so they could just stay at Gravity Falls whenever they weren't at sea. The plan was to have students of the paranormal program come spend a semester studying all the weird creatures and phenomenon of the quirky small town.

Though no one had outright opposed the idea, it was taking a while to get off the ground: mostly because of the four of them Ford was the only one who actually had a college degree. Dipper was working on his online through Lone Gate, and was almost through, but it was highly doubtful they'd get the "go ahead" with their planned program until after he'd graduated. So, they were stuck crashing at the Maryland house until then.

Pacifica hoped to one day get her college degree as well, but she was waiting until Dipper had finished his. Just having one of them in college was stressful enough, and since he had already started his studies before they even got together, it was only fair for him to go ahead and finish up before she started. He was currently doing homework now, chewing the ends of his pencils into shreds as he read through his textbooks that he had scattered all over their bed. It was times like these when Pacifica could still see traces of the nerdy little kid she'd first met all those years back. It made her smile as she stepped into a pair of work out shorts, and pulled a sports bra over her head.

"I'm gonna head over to the gym, babe," she told him as she reached over for her tank top when she stopped. He bra felt tight. She looked down at her chest and then looked at herself in the mirror.

"Weird," she mutter to herself as she loosened her straps a bit. This bra hadn't been that tight last time she wore it. Maybe it just shrank in the wash.

"Okay, have fun, be safe," Dipper replied as he highlighted a paragraph on the blood moon's effects on ghouls. "You got any cash?"

"No, but I'm not planning on going-"

"Here," Dipper pulled a 20 dollar bill out of his pocket. "Just in case something happens."

"Thanks, Love," Pacifica grinned as she took the bill from him and gave him a quick kiss goodbye. "Don't study to hard."

"I make no promises," Dipper grinned as he returned to his homework.

Pacifica giggled as she made her way outside and to one of the two vans the University lent to them when on stateside. She stifled a yawn as she drove her way to the gym. She shook her head to rid herself of her sleepiness. Normally she'd be wide awake at this hour, but she supposed she was just having a slow morning.

She made her way inside, signed in at the front desk, and began to do her stretches. A few of the other members waved at her. She wasn't exactly a regular at this gym (being that she was constantly gone at sea) but she did make a point to come workout whenever she was in town. Afterall, staying in shape was important when you could be chased by ghosts, goblins, or monsters on any given day. After she felt she was fully limber she hopped on a treadmill to run a mile. This was something she did on the regular, though today things were a bit different.

Only five minutes or so into it she began to feel a tight pain in her side. She tried to power through it but it got worse. She stopped the treadmill to take a short break as she rubbed her side.

 _I haven't had side pains from running for months now. Did I really get that out of shape in Istanbul?_ She wondered to herself. After a few minutes the pain subsided. Pacifica decided to lower the speed of her run as she began again. After only a few more minutes the pain came back, but Pacifica decided to try and push on. Maybe if she toughed it out it would go away. It didn't. In fact it got worse, but she kept going until she finally couldn't anymore.

 _Okay,_ she thought as she hopped off the treadmill, clutching her stomach. _Maybe today is just not for running. Maybe I should try lifting instead._

She shuffled over to the weights. There was a set of ten-pounders on the ground. She bent over to pick them up-

-then fell to her knees clutching her mouth. She barely made it into the bathroom before she vomited up her entire breakfast.

"Ugh!" she groaned as she rubbed her stomach. "That's just perfect."

"Hon, are you ok?" the receptionist from the front desk asked as she hustled in.

"Well, I just threw up, so…"

"Oh dear! Want me to call that cute little husband of yours?"

"Thanks, but I've got it."

Pacifica pulled her phone out of her pocket. She opened to call Dipper when she saw a notification.

"Well, that might explain a few things," she muttered as swiped the note telling her that her cycle was supposed to start today. Funny. Normally she would have felt something by now. Oh well. Maybe she was running a bit late this month. She clicked on the icon listed as "Hubby" and held the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Love, what's uo?" Dipper answered.

"Babe, I just got sick."

"What do you mean you got sick?"

"I mean I just threw up."

"Oh gosh! Are you okay?"

"What part of 'I just threw up' did you not understand?"

"Okay, yeah, that was a dumb question. Are you good to drive? Do you need me to come get you?"

Pacifica rubbed her forehead as she took a moment to take in her current physical state. Her nauseousness was gone for the moment. Though she felt a little weak, she wasn't feeling faint or dizzy.

"I think I can make but stay on standby in case I have to pull over?"

"Uh, no, I'm coming to get you," Dipper replied.

"Babe, you don't need to do that."

"Maybe not, but I'd feel better if I did."

"You'll just have to get one of your Grunkles to drive the van I took, and then we'd be burning twice the gas, and it's going to be a big hassle-"

"Aw, quit your whining kiddo," Stan said from somewhere on the other line.

"Stan and I are already in the van," Dipper said. "We'll be there in two minutes, just hang tight."

"Will do," Pacifica smiled. As soon as she hung up she went to get her gym bag and then returned to the restroom. She searched through until she found a maxi pad. She still hadn't started bleeding, but she decided to go ahead and put on a pad so that when she did start she didn't make a huge mess. She gathered all her belongings and waited in the lobby of the gym. Dipper rushed in a few minutes later. He raced up to her and put a hand to her forehead.

"You're not running a fever," he deducted. "Did you eat anything weird this morning?"

"No," Pacifica answered as she headed out to the parking lot, Dipper following her.

"Have you drank enough water?"

"Yes."

"Did you start?"

It still amazed Pacifica how little Dipper freaked out over periods and stuff like that."I should soon."

"Can that make you throw up?"

Pacifica shrugged. "For some girls, but never has for me before."

"Hm…" Dipper pondered as he and Pacifica slid into a van. Stan had already taken the one Pacifica originally drove to the gym back.

"Maybe you just got a stomach bug," Dipper thought.

"Maybe, but I was feeling fine earlier."

Dipper shrugged. "Maybe a very small stomach bug."

Pacifica snickered. "Fascinating deduction, Sherlock."

"I'm a paranormal investigator, not a doctor."

"Obviously."

They got back to the house and Dipper held the door open to both the van and the house for Pacifica. She couldn't help but grin a little bit at the gestures. Such a gentleman, her husband!

"If I might be so bold, may I suggest you all take a nap? Can't hurt," Dipper said once inside.

"Yeah, that might be what I mean," Pacifica nodded. Even in on the chaos that had just taken place, she still felt very sleepy. She trudged upstairs to their room, Dipper following her. He closed the door behind them and Pacifica changed out of her tank top and bra to put on one of Dipper's t-shirts. She decided to leave her gym shorts on, they were comfortable enough to sleep in. As she sat on the edge of the bed to undo her shoelaces she noticed Dipper staring at her with a strange look on his face. He cocked his head to one side and frowned in confusion.

"Dipper?" Pacifica asked.

"Where did those come from?" he pointed to her chest.

Pacifica looked down. Huh. Her breasts did look a bit swollen.

"Not that I'm complaining," Dipper continued. "But, those didn't used to be that big right?"

"No, they weren't," Pacifica answered. "That's weird. Man, what is up with me today?"

"I don't know," Dipper answered as he pulled the blankets of their bed back to tuck her in. "Just try and get some rest. If you aren't feeling better soon I'll take you to a doctor."

"I just threw up, babe, I'm not dying," Pacifica said as she laid her head on the pillow.

"Which is why I'm hoping a good rest will fix you up," Dipper answered as he tucked the blankets around her.

"Even if it doesn't, doctor is probably not necessary."

"Well, it would make me feel better," Dipper kissed her forehead. "I'll be down the hall in the office doing homework if you need me."

"Okay," Pacifica smiled as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Day 16

**Day 16:**

Two days.

Two days and Pacifica wasn't feeling any better. Well, that wasn't true. She was feeling better...for now. Around lunch time she always felt back to her normal self, then she'd wake up the next morning throwing up again. Dipper was bound and determined to take her to the doctor if she threw up tomorrow. Had it not been for a meeting with the University he probably would have brought her today. So here she was, alone in the house wondering what the heck was wrong with her…

...and wanting tuna for lunch. She scoured the fridge, cabinets, cupboards, but there was no tuna in the house. Well, she could eat something else. But she really wanted tuna! Well, there wasn't much of any other food in the house either, and she was tired of being cooped up, and she felt fine right now. Off to the grocery store she was!

She made a list of things she noticed they were running low on: chocolate cereal, pickles, lemon juice, potato chips, and neapolitan ice cream. She went to hers and Dipper's room to change out of her pajamas. As she tried to button her blue jeans she noticed they were a little snug.

Ugh! Bloating!

Granted, her cycle still hadn't started, which was odd, but it didn't have her worried. She only hoped it would start soon so the boating and sleepiness would go away. She slipped on a t-shirt, put on her flip-flops, sunglasses, and ran a brush through her hair before heading to the one van the guys had left her.

It didn't take her long to find all of the foods on her list. She started heading towards the check out when she noticed the pharmacy section of the store out of the corner of her eye. Her cycle was overdo, might not hurt for her to pick up some more supplies and ibuprofen while she was here. She pushed her cart down the first aisle where she found a bottle of ibuprofen. She tossed it into the cart next to the pickles. She then went over to the female health aisle where she picked up a pack of pads and a box of tampons. She was about to head towards the check out when something caught her eye.

Pregnancy tests.

Well, there was no way she could be pregnant. She had been on birth control since a month before she and Dipper were married. She began to walk away again, then stopped.

Her cycle was late. And she was sick every morning. And she was bloated. None of that meant pregnancy, though. So, her cycle was two days late, big deal, it happened. No biggie.

 _Well, better safe than sorry,_ Pacifica concluded, and she tossed a pregnancy test into the cart. As the lady at the register checked her out, her eyes lit up at the sight of the test.

"Oh, congratulations young lady!"

"Oh, it's just a precaution," Pacifica corrected her. "I'm not pregnant. I'm just ruling stuff out."

"Oh, okay," the older woman gave her a _yeah, suuuuure,_ look as she finished ringing up the order. Pacifica paid for it and then drove back to the house. She put a skillet on the stove and began to fry up the tuna to make a taco. As the pan was heating up she slipped into the half bathroom downstairs to take the test. She set the test on the bathroom cabinet and then went back into the kitchen to fry her tuna, and roll it into a taco with pickles, tomatoes, and peanuts, then turned on the TV to watch a few episodes of Judge Junie as she ate.

It was halfway through the second episode before she even remembered she'd taken the test. She tossed her dishes into the sink on her way back to the bathroom. As she was turning the test over, she noticed she still had some food in her teeth. She picked it out with one hand, and held her test with the other, not even looking down at it until the food was gone.

"Hm. Two line. What's that mean again?" she asked herself out loud she looked at the box. She knew it probably meant negative, but better to double che-

"POSITIVE!?" Pacifica shrieked. She checked the test again, then the box, then the test.

"No, no, no, no, no," Pacifica shooked head. "I must have just it sitting to long. That's it! Yeah, I'll just take another one."

She raced back to the van and drove back to the supermarket. While there she grabbed a handful of tests and brought them to checkout.

"Just a precaution, huh, honey?"

"Shut up," Pacifica muttered as she paid for the tests and drove home. She took the first test she'd already taken, and all the new ones up to hers and Dipper's bathroom. She took a second one, and set a timer on her phone. She set the test upside down on her nightstand, and stared at it as she waited for the timer to come off.

She wasn't really pregnant. She couldn't be. She was on birth control. They'd only been married a year. They weren't planning on having kids for another four years. She just couldn't be-

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Pacifica flipped over the test.

"POSITIVE!?"

Well, this was one of the cheap tests anyways! She tossed it aside and picked up a fancier test, one of those that was supposed to tell you how far along you were. This one would show that she wasn't actually pregnant. She took it, set it on the dresser, and then began pacing back and forth as she waited for her timer to go off.

This was the one. This one would show that she wasn't actually pregnant. The last two tests were just getting confused because her cycle was late. And she had been sick, so that probably messed her hormonal state up…

...could tuna mess up a pregnancy test? Probably. Yeah, that was it. No telling with all the stuff getting dumped into the ocean what funk got into the fish and then into her. That was why the cheap tests were saying she was-

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

She turned the test over. It read:

 _Pregnant. 1-2 weeks._

"No, no, no, no, no!"

She snatched up another test and rushed to the bathroom. 1-2 weeks along? That didn't make sense. Dipper had been too buried in getting up to speed on his classes for when he returned to be bothered with sex the past week! No chance to make a baby. The week before that? What were they doing the week before that?

"Oh, no!" she gasped. The week before that was the week they had the Stan-O-War all to themselves. And there had been plenty of potentially baby-making activities then. She sank to the bathroom floor, set the test aside, and set the timer. He began rocking back and forth as she thought over their week alone on the ship.

She'd still been careful, though. She took all her pills right on schedule. That should have meant that she was-

-Wait. Can you get pregnant while on birth control? She began googling it. _Surely not! I mean, it's in the name!_ She thought to herself as she scrolled through the results. There was a 1-3% chance she could get pregnant while on the pill. _Oh, great!_

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

She turned the test over. "Pregnant. 1-2 weeks."

Pacifica dropped the test and buried her face in her hands. "Ugh!"

This could not be happening! She could not seriously be pregnant. She and Dipper had only been married a year and three months! They were only 21! She just could not be pregnant!

She took the last test. It came back the same as the first four. Positive. Pacifica laid out all of the tests in front of her in the bathroom floor.

Positive.

Positive.

Pregnant. 1-2 weeks.

Pregnant. 1-2 weeks.

Positive.

It couldn't be! But here was the evidence. Five pieces of it staring her straight in the face. She crossed her arms over her stomach. There couldn't be a baby growing in there. They weren't ready for a baby. SHE wasn't ready for a baby.

"Pacifica?" Dipper's voice called from downstairs. "We're home."

"Hoo!" Stan sighed. "Someone was in a fishy room!"

She could hear Dipper's footsteps coming up the stairs. A part of her wanted to hide the tests away. Another part wanted to hit him for doing this to her. Another part wanted to cry. Another part wanted to scream. But she couldn't do any of that. All she could do was stare at the tests laid out in front of her in shock.

"Princess?" Dipper asked as she heard him open the room to their bedroom.

A weak "eh" was the only answer she could muster. Dipper stepped into the bathroom. Pacifica's breath hitched as he drew closer to her.

"Hey, Love, how are you-"

Dipper noticed the five white sticks lying in front of his wife. He knelt down and picked one up. It was a pregnancy test. His heart skipped beat as he looked back down at the ground. All of them were pregnancy tests. Two had to stripes, one had a plus sign, two had the words "Pregnant. 1-2 weeks" written on them. Dipper's hand shook as he picked up one of the test with actual words on it.

 _Pregnant? Pregnant? Pregnant!_

"Um...Pacifica. Are theses yours?"

That dumb question managed to snap Pacifica out of her shock. "No, they're Soos'. He Express Shipped them to us."

"Okay, okay, that was a dumb question," Dipper said as he slowly set the test down. "Um. Okay, well." he rubbed his hands over his face. "Uh...so...you're pregnant?"

Pacifica stared back at the tests. She slowly shook her head. "I took my pills everyday, there's no way I-"

"Well, they are only effective 98% of the time," Dipper said. "Given our track record, that's just enough for us to have a little surprise. Case in point," he gestured to the tests.

The reality began to hit Pacifica. She was pregnant! Holy smokes! Holy guacamole! Holy Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...all the holies, she was pregnant! She and Dipper were having a baby. Dipper…

...he had said multiple times he wanted to be graduated, get the Gravity Falls program started, buying a house, and building up a savings account before even thinking about having kids. Now…

Pacifica looked up at him. He had one hand placed to his foreheads as he stared at the tests on the floor, eyes wide as saucers. He wasn't saying anything, or doing anything. Just sitting there, staring.

 _Don't be mad at me. Please don't be mad at me. I didn't mean-I tries-I thought-_

Pacifica burst into tears, covering her face in her hands.

"Hey," Dipper called in a soft voice. He gently grabbed her wrists, pulled her hands out of her face, and began wiping the tears off her face. "What's all that for?"

"I'm sorry," Pacifica whispered.

"Sorry, what? Why?" Dipper chuckled. "Why are you sorry? You've done nothing wrong. Heck, I'm just as guilty as you for this, well, situation."

"I know. I know," Pacifica sniffled. "But, we talked about this. And you said you wanted so much to do before we had kids, and now it's all messed up!"

"It's not messed up," Dipper pulled Pacifica into his lap. "It's just a little out of the order we thought we were going to follow."

Pacifica rubbed her face on the back of her hand. "You are a lot calmer than I thought you would be."

"I don't think it's fully it me yet," Dipper answered.

Pacifica chuckled a bit, but she still had a knot in her stomach. "Wha-What are we going to do?"

"We're going to have a baby," Dipper answered.

"I know that, but-oh gosh we're having a baby! We're not ready, I'm not ready, I'm-"

"Hey, sh, we've got 8 and a half months to get ready."

"How are you so calm!? Seriously!?"

"Well, one of us has to keep our heads, and I'm not the one whose hormones are going to be out of whack for the next few months so I guess it has to be me."

Pacifica punched him in the shoulder.

"Ouch! Okay, no hormone or mood swing jokes. Got it!"

"Ugh!" Pacifica covered her face in her hands again.

Dipper hugged her again. It wasn't that he was not freaking out, oh he was, but on the inside. Right now Pacifica was a mess and her needed to comfort her, he'd probably go scream into a pillow later. But for now…

"Talk to me, Pacifica, why are you crying?"

"Because I'm scared!" Pacifica answered. "I'm not ready for a baby! I don't know how to be a mom!"

"Well, you'll figure it out. Besides, we always knew we wanted to have kids someday. Not so soon, but we knew this would happen."

"I know," Pacifica said. "But that as in the future. I was planning on dealing with that when it happened."

"And now it's happened, so now we'll deal with it. And we'll deal with it together."

"Really?"

"Really?"

"You're not scared or upset?"

"Upset, no! Scared, a little. At this point I can't tell what's fear and what's excitement."

Pacifica chuckled. "Same."

Dipper kissed the top of her head and hugged her tight. "So, we're having a baby."

Pacifica nodded, the fear slowly creeping away and being replaced by excitement. "We're having a baby."

Dipper tilted her face towards him and kissed her, smiling through the whole kiss. Pacifica's heart fluttered. They were having a baby. A baby! She was pregnant! She smiled softly.

Dipper tightened his arms around her. She was pregnant. His beautiful wife was pregnant with his baby, their baby. He was going to be a dad! It was exciting, terrifying, uplifting, overwhelming, and just huge all at the same time.


	5. Day 17

**Day 17:**

It was 3:30 A.M., and Pacifica was seated in the bathroom vomiting into the toilet. Ever since she'd found out she was pregnant about 15 hours ago her morning sickness had become all-day sickness. It was hard to tell if her nausea was actually caused by the pregnancy or just her nerves, though, because nerves were a definite factor.

She was going to become a mother and she wasn't sure how to handle it. It wasn't like she had a lot of great models to learn about mothering from. Stan and Ford were the closest she had to parental figures, and even then they probably wouldn't be the best to ask for advice on being a good mom. At least Dipper was set. Not that he needed help from his Grunkles to be a good dad. There were some people who just had that "thing." Dipper was one of them. Maybe it was because he spent his childhood taking care of Mabel but, whatever the reason, he already had the skills and character needed to be a great dad. She, however, didn't even know how to deal with just being pregnant, much less how she was going to be a mom.

Right now, she was dealing with it by leaning against the toilet, feeling absolutely exhausted, but not being able to sleep because everytime she started to doze off she'd start throwing up again. If this is what the next 8 ½ months was going to be like, than she was not looking forward to it. As she flushed the toilet and leaned against the wall next to it, placing a hand over her abdomen.

"I'm letting you rent my uterus for free, kid. The least you can do is make things a little easier on me," she grumbled. She heard the door creak open and Dipper poked his sleepy head in.

"Sick again?" he asked.

"Would I be sitting next to the toilet if I wasn't?"

"Hm," Dipper nodded sleepily. Pacifica hung her head. It wasn't fair for her to snap at him. It wasn't his fault-

-actually, it kind of was.

Dipper slipped inside and sat down next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't get too close," Pacifica warned, her stomach still feeling gunky.

"I'm pretty confident this is one illness I can't catch," Dipper chuckled.

"I know that," Pacifica said. "I meant don't get too close because I might throw up on you."

Dipper shrugged. "Eh, I'm about to be thrown up, peed, pooped, and spat up on for the next few years so might as well get used to it."

Pacifica chuckled a little bit and leaned her head against his shoulder. Dipper reached up and began running his fingers through her hair. She sighed and closed her eyes. Though her stomach wasn't feeling much better, she was at least feeling a bit more relaxed with her husband petting her head. Dipper stifled a yawn and blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes.

"You know you don't have to stay up with me, right?" Pacifica said, sensing his sleepiness.

"I know, I but I want to," Dipper stifled another yawn.

"It's only going to make you tired for tomorrow."

"I don't care."

Pacifica grinned and snuggled closer to him.

"But you are also going to be wiped out tomorrow if you don't get some rest," Dipper slipped his arms under her, picked her up, and carried her back to the bed.

"I'm only going to have to get up and throw up again," Pacifica pointed out.

"I know. But at least try to get a little bit of sleep. Any little bit will help. You've got a big day tomorrow."

Pacifica sniffed. "Yeah, lounge about in this house, throw up, lounge some more..."

"Grow a human being?"

"Yeah, and that," Pacifica nodded slowly.

Dipper chuckled and gave her a quick peck on her forehead. "I'll be right back."He grabbed his car keys and headed out the door. Pacifica frowned in confusion.

"Where are you going?"

"To pick up something that might help you," Dipper answered as he slipped into the hall. She laid back against the pillows, listened to him go down stairs, start a van, and drive away. She laid there, waiting for him to comeback, though it was hard for her to stay awake. She really was tired. He finally came back. She heard him park the van and walk up to their room carrying an aluminum can.

"Here," he said as he handed it to her. It was ginger ale. "This is supposed to help morning sickness."

"How do you know?" Pacifica asked as she propped herself up on her elbows.

"Google it while you were in the bathroom."

Pacifica chuckled as she took it from him and sipped it. She'd take anything that might fix her nausea right now.

"Anything else I can do for you, Princess?"

"Go to sleep. No reason for both of us to be exhausted tomorrow. Especially you, you've got a class to get to."

Though Dipper took most of his classes online, there were some that just offered on campus. Therefore, he was trying to get as many of those out of the way over the summer terms as he could. Granted, had he known he'd have a pregnant wife to take care of he would have reconsidered that decision. It was too late to do anything about it now, though. Dipper kicked his shoes off and crawled back into bed. He didn't go to sleep though. He watched Pacifica sip on her ginger ale. He hoped it would work and make her feel better. He hated seeing her miserable. She finished her drink then lied back down, frowning in discomfort.

Dipper sighed. He reached over, pulled her shirt up just enough to expose her stomach, and began rubbing small, gentle circles on her stomach.

"Seriously," Pacifica tried to wave his hand away. "Not really in the mood, babe."

"I know, I'm just trying to help your tummy feel better," Dipper said.

"Aw!" Pacifica stopped swatting at his hand and scooted closer to him. He set his other hand on her head, running his fingers through her hair. He concentrated intently on the hand touching her stomach, though.

"Is there really a baby in there?" he asked.

"Yup," Pacifica answered sleepily. Her eyes were already closed. She was fading fast. Dipper grinned ear to ear. He was going to be a dad! He still couldn't believe it. He carefully leaned down and kissed her stomach, just above her belly button. A faint smile spread across Pacifica's face before she fell asleep.


	6. Day 20

**Day 20:**

Another morning of throwing up and being cooped up in the house! True, she felt a little better now that she knew _why_ she was sick, well, better-ish. Actually, not, that was false, because now her boobs were starting to hurt. Lucky her! At least she wasn't scared there was something seriously wrong with her anymore. She was just scared of being a mother! Four days since the discovery and she still hadn't quite wrapped her mind around it. She wasn't sure Dipper had either. They hadn't really talked about it much, or anything. They just kind of walked around in a daze, going through the motions.

Even Stan and Ford had notice something was up. They had started giving them strange glances and mutter to eachother when they thought the young couple had their backs turned. Pacifica knew they would have to tell at some point, but she still was having a hard time grasping it herself.

As she sat on her's and Dipper's bed, running a hand over her belly, trying to understand how there could be a whole other person growing inside there, she began thinking towards the near future.

She was going to be a mom.

She was going to be a _MOM!_

She was going to have to be a provider, nurturer, caregiver, comforter, teacher, protector, encourager, guide, and, well, a MOTHER to a tiny, helpless being that was going to be half her and half Dipper. How was she supposed to handle that!?

Well lying here and thinking about it for the fourth day in a row wasn't going to make much progress. She picked up one of the spare notebooks Dipper had in his nightstand (he always bought at least two too many notebooks each semester), opened her phone and googled "how to be a good mother."

She clicked on the first article to pop up "How to be a Great Mom:"

 _Step One: Ignore the experts_

"Well, that doesn't make much sense," Pacifica muttered. "Aren't experts supposed to help me? How can they help me if I ignore them?"

 _Step Two: Ignore the Online Critics (Yes, you will have them)_

"Wait, what?" Pacifica screeched. There were going to be people on facebook, her facebook and twitter and instagram pointing out every little things she was doing wrong? Great!

 _Step Three: Go with your Gut_

Okay, that was a little better…

 _Step Four: You will mess up, just learn from your mistakes and move on_

Oh, great! She was just doomed for failure wasn't she!

This article wasn't helping, time to move on to another one. This one looked good, the importance on excercise during pregnancy. There were a lot of tips and strategies for staying in shape during the next eight and a half months she could use. Okay, well, at least the baby weight wouldn't be as bad. That was one plu-

Ten reasons why you should never hit the gym while pregnant. Wait a minute, the last article just….

" _You must gain atleast 50 pounds while pregnant!"_ Pacifica all but shrieked as she read.

"...otherwise you increase the risk of your baby being born premature, underweight, and experienceing health and mental problmes later in life. Such complications include but are not limited to: asthma, diabetes, autism, learning disabilities, and...AUGH!"

Pacifica rushed into the bathroom and jumped onto the scale.

"I'VE LOST WEIGHT? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? Oh my gosh, my baby is going to be all screwed up!"

 _Losing weight in the First Trimester is Normal._

 _Losing weight may be a Sign of Miscarriage._

 _You must Gain 60-_

 _No 25-_

 _No 48 pounds during pregnancy._

"GRRRR! Which is it! Am I already screwing this kid up for life or not!" Pacifica yelled at her phone as she flipped through the various articles on weight until she stumbled upon a new topic: Feeding the baby.

" _Though Breast Feeding is ideal, bottle feeding can be a viable option for you and your baby if you have trouble producing milk-"_

"Some women have problems producing milk?" Pacifica wondered outloud before looking down at her aching chest. "As much of a pain as you girls have ben this past week you better work! Eh, what else does google say about-oh, great! Baby formula is poisonous. So why are they selling it if it's so bad, huh? Can't be that...well how am I supposed to tell hard water from...not hard water? Soft water, maybe? Is there such a thing as soft water? What does this even mean. Water is wet! How can it be hard, unless it's ice. And who would give a baby ice?"

 _10 Reasons why You'll never lose the Baby Weight!_

"But I've already lost it-oh, not this again! Should I be worried or not!?"

 _Sex will never be the Same_

"Not even going there."

 _Why you and Your Partner may have Problems after Baby_

"Wait what?" Pacifica clicked on the article. "If the first point is about how sex is going to change, imma-"

 _Reason One: Sex will not be as frequent._

"Yeah, mm-hmm. Brilliant. Great. Fantastic!" Pacifica frowned as she continued to scroll through.

 _Reason Two: You will no longer be the most important people in eachothers lives._

"Huh. Well I guess, but, is that a bad thing? I mean, just because we have a baby we love doesn't mean we no longer love eachother. The spark will still be-"

 _Reason Three: The spark may die due to exhaustion_

"Oh, come on! You know what, I'm done with you."

 _Baby Blankets are a must._

 _Blankets will kill your baby._

 _Lay your baby to bed on theis stomach._

 _Back._

 _Side._

 _With one arm above their head._

"Which is it!?"

 _Co-Sleeping promotes a healthy connection._

 _Co-Sleeping can cause SIDS._

 _Skin-to-Skin is a must._

 _Skin-to-Skin can cause overheating._

"IS THERE NOTHING THAT ANYONE CAN AGREE WITH! I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHO TO NOT SCREW MY KID UP, OKAY!"

 _The Best Prenatal Vitamins to tak-_

Pacifica dropped her phone. Prenatal vitamins. The first thing every mother always does when finding out she'd pregnant and she hadn't done it yet.

"I'm already messing this all up!" she groaned as she collapsed against the bed. She set her hand on her belly. "You're still in there, right? I didn't do anything to hurt you, did I?"

Of course there was no reply. Well, not from the baby. There was a soft "Princess?" from outside the door as Dipper stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and walked to her side.

"You're home early," Pacifica said as she sat up.

"Class got cancelled last minute. But it was a good opportunity to grab these without the grunkles seeing me." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of prenatal vitamins. Pacifica burst into tears. He wasn't even the pregnant one and he had a better idea of what she was supposed to be doing than she did!

"Whoa, hey, what did I do? What's wrong? Did you want a different brand or something?"

"No, no, it's not that," Pacifica sniffled as she took the bottle from him and swallowed one of the pills. "It's just that...I didn't even think about these until today. Isn't this like the first thing you do? Take vitamins? And I didn't even think of it! I could have gone my whole pregnancy without it and starved out kid before it was even born!"

"Whoa, whoa, hey, it's fine," Dipper set a hand on each of her shoulders. "So you forgot about the vitamins, it's fine. I got them so we're all good. Besides, there is a such a thing as pregnancy-brain, so you'll probably be forgetting a lot of stuff for a while."

"So you _are_ saying that I'm forgetful," Pacifica wailed.

"What-no, that's not what I meant! It's just that, well, your body is going through a lot right now so it makes sense that some things will be running slower than they normally do-"

"So now I'm slow?"

"Wha-no, that's not-okay, I'm just going to go ahead and put myself in the doghouse now."

"No!" Pacifica latched onto him. "No, you're perfect! I'm the one that's screwing up!"

"Screwing up? Pacifica, you are not-"

"Yes I am! I'm supposed to be gaining weight, but I've actually lost it! And I don't know if my boobs are working right, so I may never make milk and we'll have to give out baby poisoned, hard-water formula! And I don't know where the baby is supposed to sleep, or where I am supposed to sleep! And I'm going to get fat, and never be pretty again! So you're going to fall out of love with me! And then I-"

"Okay, let's take a deep breath shall we," Dipper began gently rubbing her arms as he demonstrated for her. "Deep in hale and exhale, okay?"

It took Pacifica a few attempts because she was practically choking on her sobs, but she finally managed to even out her breathing.

"Now, you've been googling mommy blogs haven't you?"

"Maybe," Pacifica sniffled.

"Yeah, thought so. Listen, Pacifica, you are not screwing anything up. You've been throwing up for two weeks straight now, of course you are going to lose a little weight. But, you'll gain it back. And you're not hurting the baby. The baby is getting all the nutrients it needs from you, regardless of morning sickness or not."

"How do you know?"

Dipper reached into his backpack and pulled out a book titled: _Pregnancy: Everything you need to Know._ "I've been doing a little reading of my own."

"How do you know that book is right?" Pacifica asked.

"Well, it's written by an actual doctor, not internet trolls. And it's gotten a lot of good reviews, and takes a neutral stand point on most topics and just give the facts, both good and bad, for whatever side you can think of. Even has lists of pros and cons at the end of each chapter so parents can choose-"

"Okay, I get it," Pacifica nodded. "Honestly, do you have to geek out over every book you read?"

"Well, it is kind of my schtick."

Pacifica chuckled.

"But, the point is. You haven't messed anything up. If anything I've messed up."

"You, how have you messed up?"

"Well, I haven't really, you know, talked to you much about this. Or have tried to get a sense of how you're feeling with, well, everything."

"I haven't talked to you either-"

"Yeah, but I'm not the one who's pregnant. You're the one who is going to have to go through all the changes and such. Heck, already going through a lot of changes. I've just kind been so stuck in my own head these past few days I hadn't even though to make sure you're okay and dealing well with all of this."

Pacifica just blinked at him. He was seriously upset at himself because he had dared to be dazed and shocked over the fact that he was going to be a father and needing to take time to grasp it? He was that worried about her? Then again, did he have reason to be worried? No! Yes? Maybe.

Dipper took her hands in his. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Honestly?"

"Well, yeah."

Pacifica sighed. "I'm terrified."

Dipper cupped her face in his hand. "Why is that?"

"I-" Pacifica fidgeted uneasily. "I don't know if I'll be a good mom. I mean, I don't exactly have a good example to follow."

"And that's exactly why you'll be an amazing mother," Dipper smiled as he pulled her into his lap. "You know exactly what not to do."  
"I don't think that's going to be enough to qualify as a good mom. I...I just don't know if I can do it?"

"Um...did you forget who you are?" Dipper asked. "You are Pacifica Elise Pines. If you aren't the best at something, you kick yourself in the butt until you can stay on parr with everyone else. I have yet to see you fail at something-"

"That's a boldface lie! Need I remind you of my first attempt at scuba diving."

"And need I remind you how good you are at scuba diving now? You didn't stop trying or learning just because you messed up once and you got better. Ergo, that incident was not a failure, just a setback. And you're like that with everything. I'm sure motherhood will be the same way."

"It's all the setback I'm worried about," Pacifica muttered. "More specifically how badly those, erm, setbacks will affect the baby."

"I have a hard time believing you'd do anything that would seriously harm the baby. And even if you do, it's a Pines, we're a hardy bunch."

"Still-"

"Pacifica you'll be a great mother. You're kind, smart, tough, earnest. You'll be fine."

"I wish I was as confident in me as you are."

"Well, guess I'll just have to keep bragging on you until you believe it," Dipper kissed her cheek as she giggled.

"On another note, though, when are we planning on telling everyone?" he asked.

"Well, your's and Mabel's birhtday party is comig up in two weeks, so why not then?" Pacifica said. "I've been looking around I've found a lot of 'best auntie ever' shirts we can give Mabel, seeing as we have yet to get her something."

"Sounds like a plan," Dipper smiled. "By the way, care to give me any hints of what I can expect at said party."

"I'm already giving you a baby, Mason, don't push it."

"Aw, c'mon, why you gotta use my real name?"


	7. Day 42

**Day 42:**

"Hi, we're have a 2:00 o'clock appointment for Pines," Dipper said as he led Pacifica to the front desk at the prenatal doctor's office.

"Yes, you're with Dr. McGrady," the receptionist said. "She'll be with you in a minute. In the mean time I need you both to fill out these health history questionaires."

She handed each of them a clipboard and they walked to a set of armchairs along the side wall of the waiting room. Pacifica filled out the first section: age, gender, name, date of last period, basic easy stuff. Her eyes soon wandered to the various pictures, charts, and diagrams decorating the walls, more specifically the one that in uncomfortable detail what happened during labor. She groaned as she crossed her legs and squirmed. That looked painful.

Dipper sense her discomfort, and though he didn't look up from his questionaire he did reach over and take her hand in his for a comforting squeeze. Pacifica smiled as she continued in her questionaire.

No health conditons that she knew of.

No real allergies.

Only concerns she had was that she had lost a little weight rather than gaining any.

" _Have you experienced any of the following:"_

 _Repeated Physical Abuse_

 _Emotional/Mental Abuse_

 _Sexual Abuse_

 _Panic Attacks_

 _Mental Breakdowns_

 _Heart Attack_

 _Stroke_

 _Fainting Spells_

Pacifica breath hitched as she put a check mark next to Physical Abuse, Emotional/Mental Abuse, Panic Attacks, and Mental Breakdowns. Dipper squeezed her hand again as he reached that part and placed a check next to Panic Attack himself. They turned in their questionaires and then waited to be called back, Pacifica still warily eyeing the birth diagram.

"You've still got seven months until then, love," Dipper reminded her.

"That's not very long when you think about it," Pacifica grumbled.

"True. But you do know there is such a thing as an epidural, right?"

"Are you saying I can't handle pain?" Pacifica tried to sound tough.

"I'm saying it's an option you should probably look at," Dipper put an arm around her shoulder.

"Pacifica?" a plump middle-aged woman with curly red hair asked as she stepped into the waiting room. Dipper and Pacifica stood up and followed her back to her office.

"Nice to meet y'all, I'm Dr. McGrady," she shook both of their hands.

"Nice to meet you," Dipper returned.

"Thanks for seeing us," Pacifica said.

"Well, that is my job," Dr. McGrady smiled. "So, do we know that we're expecting, or are we not sure?"

"Well, five pregnancy tests said yes, so…" Pacifica shrugged.

"That's certainly a good sign you're pregnant. But, I'm gonna go ahead and take some blood and urine samples from you just so we can be sure. I also want to check and make sure there aren't any problems." She handed Pacifica a cup, who meekly slipped off to the restroom to give a sample before returing to find a needle and vial already waiting for her. She took a deep breath as she sat down and held one arm out. With her other hand she squeezed Dipper's hand, turning her head towards him so she wouldn't have to watch. She always got a little queasy when she watched blood get drawn.

"Alright, all done. Now it will take me about thirty minutes to get those tests done, so sit tight and I'll be back." Dr McGrady shuffled out of the room leaving the young couple to themselves.

"How's your arm?" Dipper pointed to Pacifica's freshly laid bandaid.

"Sore," she mutter.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

They looked at the charts and diagrams on the wall, including one that showed the how single babies, twins, triplets, even quadruplets developed differently. Pacifica chuckled as she noticed the twin diagram had one of the babies grappling onto the other's head with both it's arms and legs.

"So, which one were you?" she asked Dipper.

"Huh?" he arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"When you and Mabel were still in your mom. Were you the twins climbing all over the other one, or were you the one taking the beating?"

"Definately the one taking the beating."

Pacifica chuckled.

"How you think I got this brithmark. It's not actually a birthmark. It's a battle scar."

Pacifica laughd again.

"Yup, our battle to be the first twin born."

"Which you lost."

"Yup."

Pacifica giggled, before a realization hit her. "Oh, gosh! What if we're having twins!" she clasped a hand to her stomach.

Dipper's eyes grew wide. "I mean, given my family's history that is possible…"

"I'm back!" Dr. McGrady announced as she stepped back into the office with a clipboard. "So, congratulations you are pregnant!"

The butterflies began fluttering in both Dipper and Pacifica's stomachs as they smiled at eachother.

"And the urine and blood tests didn't pick up anything worrying in the immediate tests. We'll run some more extensive tests just to rule everything out."

"Sounds good," Pacifica smiled.

"What I do want to talk about is, Pacifica you checked yes on Physical and Mental abuse, Mental Breakdowns, and Panic Attacks. And Dipper, you marked yes on Panic Attacks, so do y'all mind telling me a bit more about that?"

"Um, well, yeah, my parents were...not good people," Pacifica answered stiffly.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Are they still in the picture? Is that somethign we need to be concerned about?"

"No, they're in jail," Pacifica answered.

"And good ridance to that! Dipper?"

"Well, um…" Dipper rubbed the back of his neck. It probably wasn't best to talk about a yellow triangle demon to a health professional. "I was in a hostage situation when I was twelve which caused some, well, anxiety…"

"I can understand that. And I also see here that you haven't been putting on weight?"

"Yes," Pacifica began shifting nervously.

"Well, at this point that's not a concern, but given your background it's likely that you'll be feeling some additional stress which can make it difficult to gain weight. That being said, I'd suggest you start drinking some homemade protein shakes. There are lots of recipes you can look up online, but the most popular one I've seen women drinking is the banana, peanut butter, and vanilla yogurt one."

"Mmm. This is a diet I can get behind," Pacifica grinned.

"Yeah, I bet," Dipper said over his notepad he'd stuck in his pocket before coming to the doctor's and he was now using to write down everything Dr. McGrady was saying.

"Have you already started taking prenatal vitamins?"

"Yes," Pacifica nodded.

"Good. Other things you should do, no smoking or drinking."

"Absolutely!" Pacifica heartedly agreed, thinking to the three miscarriages her mother caused for herself because she wouldn't stop doing those things.

"Start cutting down on the caffeine. If you start having headaches, 1 11 ounce cupt of coffee will be okay for now, but eventually you'll want to probably cut it out entirely. No sushi, unpasturiezed milk or cheeses, shellfish, runny eggs, uncooked meat including deli meat or hotdogs."

"Got all that, Babe?" Pacifica asked.

"...including deli and hotdogs...got it," Dipper nodded.

"My last bit of advice would be to be sure to get as much rest as possible and try to get as much relief from morning sickness as possible. Any antiacids that don't contain sodium bicarbonate should be safe for you to have, so stock up on those. Ginger ale will also help. Any questions about any of that?"

"No," Pacifica shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Alright. Now, based on your last period date you are 7 weeks along, which means you're far enough along that we can do an ultrasound."

"Oh, yay!" Pacifica clapped and Dipper grinned.

"So, I'm going to need you to lie on your back."

Pacifica lied down and Dipper pulled up a chair next to her, reaching out to hold her hand. Pacifica pulled her shirt up to exposed her stomach. Dr. McGrady poured the jelly onto her stomach then spread it about with the wand before turning the ultrasound on. Dipper and Pacifica both watched the monitor excitedly.

"Alright, so there's the gestational sac...and coming up here...right there, is your baby," she pointed to a small, white shape on the monitor.

Pacifica gapsed slightly. There really was something in there!

"Looks like a peanut," Dipper said.

Pacifica and Dr. McGrady both chuckled.

"Yeah, it kind of does," Dr. McGrady agreed as she began making measuremenats. "So, you're exactly 7 weeks along. Everything looks good so far…"

"And there's only one, right?" Pacifica asked.

"Yes, there's only one," Dr. McGrady confirmed.

"Good," Pacifica sighed just as a soft _tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump_ began playing through the monitor. Pacifica and Dipper both gasped.

"Is...is that…" Dipper began.

"That's your baby's heartbeat," Dr. McGrady nodded. "Sounds good and strong."

Pacifica clasped a hand to her mouth as she smiled ear to ear. There really was a living baby inside of her. Dipper only stared awestruck at the screen.

"Now, I'm not going to be able to tell today, but will y'all want to know if it's a boy or girl when we get there, or do you want it to be a surprise."

"I wanna know!" Pacifica cheered.

Dipper only nodded, his eyes were still glued on the tiny peanut shape and the soundwave of a beating heart on the monitor.

"Okay. Well, everything looks good so far. I'm gonna schedule for y'all to come back in about a month so we can check and see how things are going, but of course let me know if anything goes wrong or if you have any questions."

She turned the monitor off and wiped the jelly off Pacifica's belly with a towel. "Y'all can confirm your date at the front desk. Your pictures will be waiting for you up there too. Should only take a few minutes to print. Congratulations you two."

"Thank you!" Pacifica called as Dr. McGrady slipped out.

"Can you believe we actually saw our-Dipper?" Pacifica noticed Dipper was still staring at the now turned off monitor as if in a daze.

"Dipper?" she set a hand on his shoulder. He slowly turned to her and it was then that she realized that his eyes were brimmed with tears.

"We're really having a baby," he whispered, setting a hand on her abdomen.

"Well, yeah, we've known that for a week and a half now."

"I know but...I don't know...I guess just seeing it and hering it's heart beat just-just...I don't know, made it real."

Pacifica smiled as she put her hand over his. "Yeah, it does."

Dipper grinned as he planted a small kiss on her stomach. "Love you, Peanut."


	8. Day 56

**Day 56:**

Dipper rang his hands in exctement as he and Pacifica rode in the back in Stan and Ford's van towards the mystery shack. Pacifica was tapping her feet next to him, his and Mabel's presents in her lap. He already knew what his was, but that wasn't really what he was excited for. There was a balloon arch set up in the front yard as they drove up.

"Heh, heh, leave it to Mabel to overdo it," Stan chuckled as Ford parked the car. Dipper and Pacifica gave each other a knowing look and grinned before slipping out of the car and heading to the front door. Dipper slipped his hand into hers as they climbed up the porch steps behind Ford and Stan who knocked on the door. Mabel answered it with a bubbling drink in her hand.

"Bro-Bro!" she cheered as she tackled hugged Dipper. "It's been to long!"

She then turned and tackle hugged Pacifica. "And Sissy-Pazzy!"

Pacifica took two steps back to avoid the brunt of the tackle hug. It's not that she didn't like Mabel or her hugs, but Mabel was a very strong woman who tended to get a little too eager at times, especially considering Pacifica's condition.

"Dipper, can you believe we can drink now?" Mabel asked once she'd finished hugging Pacifica.

"Mabel, we've been able to drink for a year," Dipper said.

"I know, but it's still awesome!" Mabel fistbumped. "Oh, Pazzy, I found this knew, pink beer. It's really good, I've got some inside if you want to-"

"Erm...not now," Pacifica shuffled inside awkwardly. "Maybe later. I...erm...want to pace myself. Yeah, that's it."

"Well, at least one of us have self control," Mabel gestured to the drink in her hand.

"You have no idea," Pacifica muttered under her breath.

"Paz-Paz!" a small voice called. Pacifica turned and saw little Logan toddling to her.

"Hey, Logan," Pacifica smiled as she bent down to his level and holding out her arms for him. He grinned as she picked him up and hugged him. Pacifica smiled. Soon she'd have a little child all her own.

"Show me your dance moves," Pacifica cheered. Logan grinned and dabbed for her.

"I still have to get you back for teaching my son that," Wendy said as she walked up to them to give Pacifica a hug.

"Hi, Wendy."

"Hi, how you doing?"

"Um, pretty good," Pacifica nodded.

Wendy took a step back and arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Mama!" Logan reached over towards Wendy who took the little boy in her arms.

"Yeah?" Pacifica nodded.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?" Wendy grinned.

"No," Pacifica said shiftly.

"Uh-huh? What is it?"

"Nothing."

"I know you're lying."

"Mama! Mama!" Logan began poking Wendy in the face.

"What buddy?"

"I go pway Soo-Soo?"

"You wanna go play with Soos?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Okay, go play with Soos."

Wendy set Logan down who then toddled off before she turned back to Pacifica.

"So, what's the sitch?"

"Erm…" Pacifica shifted nervously. "I'll get back to you on that."

"Is everything okay?" Wendy's face looked concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just...well...um...you know...it's Dipper and Mabel's day, and I don't want to detract from their shine, y'know?"

"Sure, okay?" Wendy didn't look convinced, but let it drop and went to give Dipper a hug. "How you holding up, bro?"

"I'm alright," Dipper answered.

"What have you been up to?"

"Class, work, more class."

"Eh, better you than me dude."

"Heh," Dipper rubbed the back of his neck.

"Duuuuuuuuudes!" Soos cheered as he came in with Logan on his shoulder.

"Hey, Soos!" Dipper hugged his old friend.

"You look good, dude, you look good. Hey, Pacifica!"

"Hey, Soos," Pacifica smiled.

"Melody and Abuelita are getting the cakes and the burgers, they'll be back in a few minutes. But we can play 'Fight, Fighters' until then, dude!"

"Alright!" Dipper cheered as he floowed the larger man into the livingroom.

Pacifica found a comfortable spot on the couch to sit so she could watch her husband, great uncles-in-law, and Soos play their dumb fighting game. Mabel and Wendy sat next to her and cheered the men on. Pacifica found her hand trailing over her stomach every now and then, and had to stop herself to not give the surprise away.

Within a few minutes Melody and Abuelita returned. Stan then took it upon himself to begin grilling the burgers as everyone else socialized in the front yard, chit-chatting about life in general. The butterflies were just going crazy in Pacifica's stomach as she waited, casting glances to Dipper's way, just waiting for the right moment.

The burgers were soon done. Everyone ate, and then the cake was brought out. It was a simple sheet cake. One size had a multi-color icing butterfly, and the other one looked like one of Dipper's journals.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy brithday to you! Happy birthday to you Dipper and Mabel! Happy birthday to you!"

The two blew out the joint 22 candles, and then they cut the cake and handed it around. Pacifica nibbled on hers a little bit, but it was very sweet and sugary and her stomach still wasn't 100% percent. No one seemed to notice.

"Present time!" Mabel cheered as she finished her cake. "Bring me your yearly offerings to me!"

Everyone laughed as Stan brought his gift to them. He gave Mabel a set of fuzzy pink headphones and Dipper a new blazer jacket. Ford gave Mabel a porcelain tea party and Dipper avintage typewriter. Wendy gave both of them gift cards: Mabel a clothing boutique one, and Dipper a book store one. Soos, Melody, and Abuelita gave Mabel a vinyl version of an AllTimez album, and Dipper the full box set of Tiger Fist.

"Thanks guys!" Dipper grinned.

"I am satisfied with your offerings!" Mabel cheered.

Pacifica looked to Dipper who nodded, and she stood up and both of the birthday people a box.

"Ooh! More presents!" Mabel clapped and reached for the box, all but snatching it from her.

"Careful, don't break it!" Pacifica wanred.

"Ooh, breakable!" Mabel cheered as she began carefully tearing the paper around the edges. Dipper also began opening his, but a little slower. He wanted Mabel to open hers first. Mabel finished ripping the paper off to reveal a white box.

"Ooh, cardboard!" she smiled. "I can do a lot with this."

"It's inside the cardboard, you goof!" Pacifica chuckled.

"I know, I know," Mabel began pulling the tape off the edges of the box.

"And, I apologize, the rest of your present didn't get here in time," Pacifica said.

"Darn mail system," Mabel crossed her arms in a play pout.

"It'll be worth the wait, though, I promise," Pacifica assured her.

"It better be!" Mabel warned as she continued pulling the tape off the edges of the box.

Dipper gave Pacifica a knowing grin and mouthed, "you're so bad" to her, to which she grinned.

Mabel pulled off the rest of the tape and opened the box.

"Ooh! A t-shrit!" Mabel cheered as she pulled out the pink material.

"Read it," Pacifica told her.

Mabel held the shirt out at arm's legnth. "'I don't have a crazy aunt because…" her brow crinkled, then her eyes grew wide. "Shut the front door!"

She turned to Dipper, then Pacifica, then Dipper, then Pacifica. "Shut the-No! Are you serious?"

"Wait, what did it say?" Soos asked.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" Mabel all but screamed as she held her hands to her face. "You two better not be playing me!"

"Mabel, what did it say?" Wendy asked.

Mabel only squeed.

"Mabel, honey, what did it say?" Stan shouted.

Pacifica giggled, took the shirt out of Mabel's lap and held it up. Stan squinted as he read.

"I don't have a crazy aunt because I am the crazy aunt. No you're not!" Stan took two steps back and pointed to Dipper and Pacifica.

Wendy gasped loudly and clapped a hand to her mouth.

"No you're not!"

"Are you really…" a grin began breaking over Ford's face.

"Dipper?" Pacifica turned to her husband, who opened his box, and held up a navy blue t-shirt with a picture of two thumbs pointed at himself under the words: "This guy is going to be a Dad!"

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Mabel screamed as she tackled Dipper.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Stan shouted even louder as he raced towards Pacifica and snatched her into a hug.

"OH! MY! GOOOOSSSH!" Soos began jumping up and down and clapping.

"You're pregnant?" Wendy asked as she pulled Pacifica out of Stan's grip. Pacifica nodded.

"You're pregnant!" Wendy squeezed Pacifica into another hug.

"Ford! We're going to be Great-Grunkles! Ford?"

Everyone turned to find Ford sitting in a daze.

"Grunkle Ford?" Dipper asked, a little concerned.

"You're having a baby?" Ford asked.

Dipper and Pacifica nodded.

"Oh my...seriously? Oh my…" Ford clasped a hand over his mouth and his eyes began growing teary.

"Oh, Grunkle Ford!" Pacifica walked towards him and hugged him.

"You're really pregnant?" he asked in a watery voice.

"Yes," Pacifica answered. Ford let her go and began wiping at his eyes.

"Aw, Fordsy!" Wendy patted his shoulder.

"Here," Dipper pulled a card out of his back pocket and passed it to Mabel.

"Oh, how are you going to top that!?" Mabel asked.

"Just open it," Dipper told her.

Mabel did so.

"Read it," Dipper told her.

"Happy birthday, Auntie. Oh my gosh! I'm gonna be an auntie! I'm gonna be an auntie!" she danced as she opened it. "I'll see you March 18th, give or take a day. Oh my gosh!" she held up the ultra-sound picture tucked inside. "I'm going to be an auntie!" Mabel fist-bumped, danced, and jumped all at once.

"Let me see that, let me see that!" Stan took the ultrasound picture. "Aw, look at that!"

"Stan, bring it here," Ford beckoned for his brother to come closer. Stan handed th pciture to him. Ford looked at it for a while, and then covered his eyes in his hand as they got watery again.

"Oh, you big softy," Dipper walked to his great uncle's side and hugged him.

"Aw," everyone crooned as Ford sniffled against Dipper's shoulder.

"Our Dipper's all grown up and going to be a Daddy!" Stan cheered as he joined the hug.

"Wasn't sure you'd actually have it in you Dipping Sauce," Wendy slugged him in the shoulder.

"Hey," Dipper frowned as she hugged him.

"Hey, get in her too mom," Wendy motioned to Pacifica. Pacifica joined the hug. Ford and Stan rejoined. Soos, Abeulita, Melody, and Mabel followed suit.

"I'm going to an auntie!" Mabel cheered again.

"Oh!" Stan steped out. "Mabel, Wendy, Soos, you all gotta paid me. One year! I called it!"

"Oh, are you serious!?" Ford shouted.

"I told you they had a bet going," Dipper mumbled to Pacifica before kissing her on the forehead and placing a hand on her stomach.


	9. Day 63

**Day 63:**

"Hey! Keep it down I'm trying to sleep!" Pacific yelled from upstairs. Stan murmured and turned the volume on his wrestling game down.

"This woman is getting on my nerves," he grumbled.

"She's pregnant," Dipper snapped from where he was seated at the table. "She's tired, and having horrible morning sickness. Give her a break."

"But can't a man watch his sports in peace?"

"Sure, just not on full volume," Dipper grumbled as he looked back at his books. His finals were coming up next week, so he was trying to study up, but his mind really wasn't on his textbooks.

They were on his future.

If Pacifica couldn't sleep with Stan's games playing, how were they going to put a baby down to sleep? He glared back up at his Great Uncle and noticed the beer bottle in his hand. That wasn't something you wanted around a baby! Come to think of it…

Dipper looked about the house. Ford's inventions and weapons were lying about. So were Stan's "tools." All kinds of creepy stuff was tossed here and there. He did not think much of it before, but now...none of this was stuff you wanted around a baby. He rubbed the back of his neck. It's not that he wanted to live with his Grunkles for the rest of his life. He and Pacifica had always talked about moving out and getting their own place, but they'd always talked about it in the future after he was graduated and the program in Gracity Falls had been set up.

That was years away, though, and there was nothing he could do.

No.

No, that wasn't good enough. This was his baby he was thinking about. He, or she, deserved to have the best start of life,a nd it certainly wasn't here. Not that he hadn't enjoyed his time in this house or on the Stan-o-War. He had, greatly. But that's when he was a single guy just getting started in life. Now he was a husband and father-to-be. It was time to get going onto something else. Something better.

But how?

Dipper pulled out his phone and began googling…

Pacifica's eyes flutter open. She was still a little queasy, but better than she was before. She sat up and began to stretch, one hand brushing over her stomach. This gesture has now become a habit. She was looking forward to the day when she'd feel a small baby bump, which was odd seeing as she'd use to shudder at the thought of gaining any sort of weight up until this point. She smiled at where her baby was hidden, and began to look about the room. She noticed Dipper sketching in his notebook while seated in a chair propped up against the wall.

"Hey, babe," she called sweetly.

"Hey," Dipper stood up to walk to sit next to his wife on the bed. He had a serious look on his face. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Pacifica grew concerned.

Dipper took her hands in his. "While I am not at all upset by this pregnancy, it has kind of thrown a wrench in our plans…"

"You just figured that out?" Pacifica arched an eyebrow.

"Well, no, I guess it's just now starting to hit me."

Pacifica chuckled softly as Dipper traced circles onto the back of her hands with his thumbs.

"I don't want to bring our baby home to a University owned that is surrounded by franternity and sorority parties, and filled with whatever crazy stuff the Grunkles decide to drag in. Or a houseboat where it could fall overboard, get tossed around in a storm, get some weird international disease, and, again, is filled with whatever weird stuff the grunkles decide to drag in."

"Dipper-" Pacifica began to tell him how sweet he was, but he continued.

"I want to bring our baby home to a home. Our home. But there is no way we can afford to buy a home until I'm graduated an on salary for the program at Gravity Falls."

"Babe, you'll get there soon-"

"But not soon enough," Dipper sighed. "Unless I can speed it up."

"Can you do that?" Pacifica asked.

"Yes, actually, but…"

"But what?"

Dipper sighed. "There's a study away program, where you can basically finish a class or two every two weeks."

"That sounds great!"

"Sure, except that it last 2 ½ - 3 months. Which means I'd be gone for nearly 3 months without being able to come home."

Pacifica blinked. 3 months with no Dipper? Dipper wouldn't be there for when she first started showing? He may not be there when the baby started moving. He wouldn't be there for any appoinments during that time. He wouldn't be there if she got scared or needed a shoulder to cry on...

"...so...are you going?"

"I don't know yet," Dipper said. "I mean, it would get us into a better situation in time for the baby to come, but I don't want to leave you for that long. I want to be here for everything."

"I want you here too!"

Dipper squeezed her hands and then cupped her face in one of his hands. "I know you do. But I don't feel comfrotable bringing a baby into this world when we aren't even on our own yet."

Pacifica hung her head. She understood where Dipper was coming from. Heck, she had thought similar things the past 7 weeks. Still, to have Dipper be gone for 2 ½ months?

"I know it's going to be hard, but which would be worse? Me having to go away for two and a half months, or trying to raise a baby while moving to place to place and occassionally going to dangerous areas."

Pacifica sighed. "Well, when you put it like that…"

Dipper pulled her into a hug and began rubbing her back as he rocked her back and forth.

"When would you leave?"

"Two weeks from now."

Pacifica shuddered. "Okay."

Dipper held her closer. "Thank you for being supportive, love. I know this is hard for you. I talked to Mabel. She said you can go stay with her and Wendy while I'm gone so you aren't stuck here. If the University ends up giving Stan and Ford an assignment I don't want you here by yourself."

Pacifica nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak. She knew deep down this was a good thing. This is what they would need in order to give their baby the best chance possible. Still, she was getting weepy. Stupid hormones!

"I'll facetime you every night."

"You better!"

"And I'll be on the look out for gifts to bring back for you and the baby."

"Again, you better!"

"I love you my Beautiful Princess." Dipper kissed her lips, then leaned down and kissed her belly. "And I love you, my little Peanut."


	10. Day 71

**Days 71:**

Pacifica folded up the last of her clothes, sighing deeply. Tommorow she and Dipper would begin the drive to Gravity Falls so he could drop her off with Mabel and Wendy. For some odd reason Dipper had insisted they drive instead of flying. Pacifica had no idea why. It was atleast a three day drive if all you did was drive all day. What her husband was thinking, she had no idea. Pacifica zipped up her suitcase and then sat on the bed, waiting for when it was time to leave. She ran a ahnd over her stomach.

"You're Daddy is a good man," she whipsered to her belly. "He's doing what's best for you right now, even though it's hard on both of us…"

She sighed again as she rubbed circles over her belly. Dipper came into the room momentarily.

"Why are you making us drive again?" Pacifica asked once more. "And can I please get an answer this time?"

Dipper chuckled. "Well," he sat down next to her "We're about to be apart for 2 ½ months-"

"Don't remind me!"

"And once I get back we'll be hitting the ground running getting the Gravity Falls program up and running, finding a home, getting ready for the baby, so…" Dipper gently pushed her onto her back and hovered over her. "...this might be our last chance to do something just the two of us for a long time."

Pacifica arched an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

"I have planned a cross country road trip, just the two of us, for a week."

Pacifica gasped. This man! Oh, goodness, did she love this man! How did she get so lucky. But, wait-

"A week? But don't you-"

"I may have fibbed about when the Study Away started."

Pacifica punched him the shoulder.

"What? I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, you certainly did!" Pacifica leaned up and deeply kissed her husband. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Now, Princess, I believe it's time for us to get going."

Dipper stood up, picked up Pacifica's suitcases, and led the way to the van that the Grunkles were currently packing up.

"There are the lovebirds!" Stan grinned. "Ready for Honeymoon 2.0?"

"You two knew?" Pacifica grinned.

"Sure we did!" Stan cheered.

"Before you go, here," Ford reached into his trench coat and pulled out a pre-paid $200 card.

"What's this?" Dipper asked.

"You kids get yourselves some souvenoirs," Ford said. "Maybe something for the newcomer."

"Oh, but Ford, we can't-" Pacifica protested.

"Of course you can! Now go on! You two have fun!" Ford waved the two into the van and closed the door behind them.

"Have fun, casanovas!" Stan cat-called as they pulled off. "Don't accidently make another baby!"

"Stanley!" Ford shouted.

Pacifica and Dipper couldn't help but chuckle.

"So, what are we doing first, Mr. Tour Guide Ken Doll?"

"Please don't call me that."

"My handsome hot shot."

"Ermmm. I'll accept that one, but not my favorite."

"Whatever, what are we doing first?"

"I don't know, why don't you see…" Dipper pulled a manilla envelpoe out of the glove compartment and handed it to her.

"What's this?" Pacifica asked.

"Open it and see."

Pacifica did so. Inside the manilla envelope were several other smaller envelopes inside nummber for 1-21. Pacifica reached for the envelope marked as # 1, and opened. Inside were two tickets and a note.

" _Our romance began on the ocean, so why not experience the ocean again and take a piece of it with us into our future home (wherever that might be). Time to go to the National Aquarium in blatimore for an hour long tour, followed by a painting party."_

"You bought tickets to a paint party?" Pacifica arched an eyebrow at him. "You?"

"If you ever doubt I love you…"

Pacifica giggled and hugged him tight, kissing his cheek.

"Lunch, Northwest…" a guard slid a tray into Preston Northwest's cell.

The older man grumbled as he took his tray and began nuibbling on a roll. He waited until he was sure the guard was far down the hall before pulling out the iphone he'd had a friend smuggle in earlier that day. He'd already set up several false Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages by the name of "Stony West." The only thing left to do now was to find…

"Pines? Pacifica PINES?"

He clicked on the profile that had popped up. Sure enough, that was his daughter. He clicked on her pictures. There was an album titles "Wedding." He clicked on it.

Pacifica in a wedding dress.

Pacifica walking down the aisle, her arm linked with one of those old creeps. Not his! It wasn't him walking her down the aisle!

And it wasn't Zachary, his choice, waiting for her at the end. It was that boy! That nerdy, goofy, riff-raff.

They were kissing.

Dancing.

Cutting cake.

Throwing bouquets and garters.

Honeymooning in Santa Barbara.

" _Ding! Pacifica Pines has been tagged in a new photo."_

Preston clicked on it.

Pacifica was standing in front of a dolphin tank, one of the sea mammals pointing its nose at her lower torso. There was a caption under it:

" _Baby Pines making a splash at their first aquarium trip. #honeymoonnumbertwo, #lastflingbeforebaby, #roadtrip."_

Baby? A baby?

Preston checked to see who had posted the picture. It was Dipper Pines. Her-he shuddered- _husband._ Preston scrolled through Pacifica's timeline. Sure enough, there was a picture of those two insolent twins, one holding a "I don't have a crazy aunt, but I AM the crazy aunt," the other holding a "This guys is going to be a Dad!" shirt. Pacifica was standing in the middle of them, holding her hands in the shape of a heart over her belly.

She was pregnant.

His daughter was married to a man he didn't approve of. Was pregnant with a baby he didn't approve of. She needed to be punished, but he was trapped back here, thanks to his insolent daughter, and he had no clue where she was…

He could hear the guard making his rounds and hid the phone away to eat his lunch.

Preston had to wait several hours before it was safe for him to pull the phone out again. There were three new pictures. The first was of Pacifica and that boy holding up two paintings of jellyfish.

" _I think I did better than he did, LOL!"_ was the caption.

There were several comments:

 _Mabel Pines: "Surprised you didn't do better with all the journalling and sketching you did as a kid, bro bro!"_

 _Stanley Pines: "He's just letting Pacifica do better. He's whipped!"_

 _Dipper Pines: "It was the paintbrush! It was old!"_

 _Mable Pines: "Sure….LOL!"_

Preston scrolled up and found a picture of a set of children's picture books: "Perky Pelican," "Lizzie Aligator," "Tine Tortise," "Inky Octupus," and "Chadwick Crab," spread ontop of a blanket designed to look like a stingray.

" _Souvenoir count on this road trip...Dipper: 1, Me: 1, Baby: 6. #alreadyspoiled, LOL!"_

Below this picture was a picture of that boy making a funny face infront of a coral reef aquarium as he pointed to a clown fish.

" _He found Nemo!"_

Preston rolled his eyes. Such juvenility!

" _Ding! Pacifica Pines uploaded five new pictures to album 'Roadtrip!'"_

"Your jellyfish looks like a bowler hat with hair!" Pacifica chuckled as she and Dipper piled back in the van, reffering to his version of the jellyfish painting that was what they were instructed to paint during the paint party after the tour.

"Well, we'll just hang yours up and hide mine in the back of a closet as one of those keepsakes that you feel attached to, but you don't want anyone else to look at."

"Okay, where are we going now?" Pacifica bounced in her seat as Dipper drove off and she opened the envelope marked #2.

" _We've always been the adventurous type, so why stop now? Let's go exploring at the Penn Cave together!_

 _P.S. They have a gift shop where we can buy stuff for the baby or our house."_

Pacifica grinned ear to ear as she leaned over and kissed Dipper.

"Sheesh, if you're going to do that after each envelope I might sneal 20 more in there," Dipper chuckled.

Pacifica playfully punched him in the arm. "You rascal."

"But I'm your rascal."

"Yup."

There was a picture of Pacifica and that boy sitting in a boat floating along inside a cave. Disgusting. Dusty. Dark. Damp. So this was the level to which their family name had fallen? And she was smiling. Ear to ear. In fact she looked happier in that dirty, dumpy cave than she had ever been in their luxurious mansions, or elaborate vacations, or opulent balls.

How dare she!

There was another picture of them in the cave. Only this time, rather than cheesing for the camera, they were kissing! Preston gagged as he read the caption.

" _Thankful for this man. He surprised me with this road trip earlier this morning! He knew I was sick of being cooped up with morning sickness, and decided to take me on yet another adventure! Just one small example of why I love him so much. You're an amazing husband, love, and you'll be an amazing father. Our baby and myself are lucky to have you."_

Preston gagged again as he kept scrolling. "Disgusting!"

There was also a picture of a yellow baby onsie with "Penn Cave" written on it and a stuffed black bear.

" _Dipper: 1. Me: 1. Baby: 8!"_

Below was a picture of Pacifica wearing a necklace with a small quartz geode hanging from it.

" _Dipper: 1, Me: 2. He's always buying pretty things for me. Not that I'm complianing. (Baby still has more than both of us combined though, LOL!)"_

 _Wendy Corduroy commented: "Shoot, if baby Pines turns out to be a girl Dipper will be practically worthless!"_

Hmm...they didn't know the gender yet. It must be early in the pregnancy. That gave him plenty of time to get a plan together. First of all he had to figure out where they were.

They were on a roadtrip currently, but where were they going…?

" _Ding!"_

Preston clicked on the update. They were in a botanical garden now. But where at? Preston heard the guard coming and put the phone away. He waited until the guard passed by and then pulled the phone out again.

Pittsburgh! That's where they were. They were now shopping for flower to plant in their future home: Azaleas, Japanese Snowballs, Alliums, Bleeding Hearts, Hydrangeas, Mountain Laurels, and Painted Lady Ferns.

Those seeds and bulbs would never be planted if he could help it.

So far they had been to Baltimore, some cave in the middle of nowhere, and Pittsburgh. They were headed North, but where to…?

He waited. And waited. Sketchind plans onto a napkin. Getting people to do the job wouldn't be hard. He had enough money to pay anyone off, and thanks to his friends he could get access to it. He just had to know where they were going. Or staying. Or doing.

" _Ding!"_

They were watching a broadway show, _West Side Story,_ to be exact. In Columbus, Ohio. They were going west now.

"Hm…" Preston pondered. He couldn't be sure, but her had a sneaky suspicion where they were going. It was late. They probably wouldn't travel anymore tonight. Time to do some more digging on what his daughter and that boy had been up to the past year…

Pacifica climbed into the hotel bed next to her husband. He was reading one of the children's books they'd picked up at the Baltimore Aquarium. She smiled shyly as she propped herself up on her elbows.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Reading."

"A children's book?"

"Hey, I've gotta make sure there's nothing offensive in this."

"It's written for toddlers!"

"You never know."

Both laughed. Pacifica rubbed a hand over her belly. "You want to try to read it to the baby?"

Dipper turned to her, a surprised look on his face.

"You know it can hear us, right?" Pacifica asked.

"This early?"

"Oh, well, that I'm not sure about," Pacifica scratched the back of her head. "But, maybe? Even if it can't, you might as well try it. Consider it a practice run."

Dipper though for a while, then shrugged and scooted closer to her. Pacifica sat up so he could lean his head in her lap. He kissed her abdomen.

"Story time, Peanut," he said before he began reading.


	11. Day 78

**Day 78:**

The week roadtrip had been amazing. They had gone to twenty different sights across the country, and had a load of stuff for the baby including 7 books, 2 wodden puzzles, 5 quilts, 2 sippy cups, a night light, and 4 onesies. Now the trip was over, though, and they were driving through Gravity Falls, headed towards the two story house Mabel and Wendy shared. Pacifica sighed softly as Dipper pulled up to the driveway. There a small porch at the front of the house, and a small deck leveled with the second floor wit a staricase leading from the driveway to the deck landing.

As Dipper parked the car and opened his door Mabel walked out of the deck.

"Hi gggggguuuuuuuyyyyyyssssss!" she called as Dipper opened Pacifica's door for her.

"C'mon up!"

Dipper began piling all the suitcases and bags of baby stuff they had bought into his arms.

"Babe, I can carry some-"

"I've got it."

"Babe, I can't even see your face," Pacifica said to the pile of bags covering her husband's face.

"I've still got it."

"Babe-"

"You don't need to be handling heavy objects."

"Oh, yeah, I bag of quilts is totally going to break my back," Pacifica rolled her eyes as she followed Dipper up the states. Mabel was busily trying to tidy up the living area of floor, which was littered with drawing pads, glitter, fabric, sew kits, and glue guns.

"I was just making some samples while waiting on you bums to get here. But, anywho, welcome to my humble abode! This half of the house anyway, Wendy has the bottom floor. Oh! Pacifica, here's your room for the next few weeks!'

Mabel skipped down a small hall and opened one of the doors. Inside was a twin-sized bed, and dress, and a nightstand.

"Welp, make yourself at home, I gott go grocery shopping!" and with that Mabel skipped off.

Pacifica sighed as she stepped inside. This was it. This is where she'd be staying for 2 ½ months. She stared at the bed. It looked tiny compared to the queen sized beds she was used to sharing with Dipper. Well, there wouldn't be any bed sharing for a while now. Dipper set the bags down, walked up behind Pacifica and began kissing her neck.

"It's only for a few weeks, Princess."

"I know."

"I'll call you every night."

"You better."

Dipper began kissing her face, neck, shoulder, causing her eyelids to flutter closed.

Preston tapped on the phone screen. He smiled. Everything was in place….should his new friend follow his lead and not get...carried away. He didn't want Pacifica to die. No, no, no, that wouldn't do him any good. He just needed her to suffer. To worry. To know that he was still in charge.


	12. Day 80

Day 80:

Dipper sighed as he collapsed onto the hotel bed. He was sharing a room with three other guys for the first stop of the trip, Philadelphia. He'd be doing a two week study on poltergeists and EVP at the infamous East State Peniteniary equipment before th study away moved to New Orleans. They'd travelled all day, and he was exhausted. None the less, as his two room mates, a burly guy named George Core, and a short boy with thick glasses named Drew Klim, began unpacking, he rolled over on his stomach and clicked on the facetime icon. The phone rang a few times before Dipper saw Pacifica smiling face appear.

"Hiiiii!" she smiled and waved.

"Hello, Beautiful Princess," Dipper smiled. "How are you tonight?"

"I'm good. How are you? Did you finally make it to Philadelphia?"

"Finally," Dipper rolled his eyes. "I thought we'd never get here. I was starting to think we were in a time loop."

Pacifica chuckled. "Long drive, huh?"

"Not only that, you thought Stan was bad at driving. This man we are calling a professor? I don't even know how he got his license, much less a PHD!"

Pacifica burst out laughing.

"I was sitting in that back seat praying! Lord, I've got a wife. I've got a baby on the way. I cannot die tonight!"

Pacifica laughed again. "But you're there and safe now, right?"

"Yeah, I made it. So, enough about me, how are you? What have you been up to?"

"Who you talking to?" Drew asked from where he was sitting on his bed.

"My wife. Pacifica this is one of my roomates Drew…"

"Hi!" Pacifica waved.

"Hello," Drew waved back.

"And this is George, the other roomate."

"Hi."

"Hmph." George shrugged as he shuffled into the bathroom.

Dipper frowned a little at his rudeness, but then went back to talking to his wife.

"Where were we? Oh, yeah, how ya doin'?"

"I'm doing fine. Mabel and I ate at Lazy Susan's for lunch with Candy and Grenda."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm."

"How are they doing?"

"Fine. Candy is dating someone now , apparently."

"Oh, is she?"

"Yup!"

"Who?"

"That's not for me to say."

"Aw, c'mon!"

"Nope, you'll have to ask her."

"Now that's not fair! You can't just tell me something like that and not follow through on it!"

Pacifica just smiled coyly. Dipper frowned. "You're the worst."

"You're a nerd."

"You're a bully."

"You're a dork."

"But you still love me."

"And you love me."

"Enough to marry you, make a baby with you, and then ride all the way to Philadelphia in a clown car to spend to weeks talking to ghosts for you."

Pacifica chuckled. "My hero."

"I know."

"You're so humble too," Pacifica sarcastically sighed.

"What can I say? It's a gift!"

Pacifica rolled her eyes, shook her head, and smiled.

"How's the baby?" Dipper asked.

Drew, who had been reading a book on his bed suddenly gasped. "You're having a baby!?"

"Yup." Dipper answered with a proud smile as Drew squeed. Dipper arched an eyebrown in concern as he turned back to his phone.

"Doing good," Pacifica lowered her phone to show her stomach. "We're still not quite showing yet, but I'm still a bit sickish in the mornings."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, Love."

"It's fine," Pacifica lifted the camera back to her face. "Honestly it's the boredom that's getting to me more than the morning sickness."

"You could try helping Mabel with her company," Dipper said. "I've heard business has picked up, so she could probably use the extra hand."

"Eh, maybe. But she's determined to keep me on basically bed rest. She's scared to let me do anything." Pacifica chuckled. "If you could see all the food she's trying to feed me."

"None of it is nutriucious is it?"

"Not unless sugar and glitter sprinkles are packed with protein."

Dipper chuckled and shook his head. "Yup. That's Mabel. We may have to leave explicit instruction on what NOT to give our kids when she babysits."

"Do we have to let her babysit?"

"She'll kill us if we don't."

"True. Ugh! Just wish she'd let me do something! Anything!"

"Talk to Wendy. She's been pregnant before, she knows how it is. And she can talk some sense into Mabel."

"That's a possibility!?"

"Only with Wendy and Ford...every now and then."

"Hm. Well, I'll definately-AUGH!" Pacifica screeched and covered her face. Dipper could see in the corner showing his screen, but he didn't believe it until he turned around. George had come out of the shower, completely nude.

"Dude!" Dipper covered his eyes and turned away.

"What, we're all dudes here?"

"I'm facetiming my wife!"

"Oh," George smiled smuggly. "Enjoy the show, cutie pie!"

"Again, I was talking to my WIFE!" Dipper emphasized the word as he walked onto the balcony of their hotel room, making sure to close the curtain behind him. "So sorry about that Princess. I did not see that coming!"

"Niether did I," Pacifica answered. "But to answer his question, no, I did not enjoy the show."

"I would hope not."

"Aw, you jealous?"

"Of that guy? No."

Pacifica giggled again. The two continued talking, niether aware of the text conversation going on in the room as George laid on his bed in a robe.

"Just flashed them. Shook them up a little bit. Nothing too bad, I'm going to try to ease into it."

"Excellent. Don't do anything drastic. Remember, I just want you to get inside his head. I'm contacting our other friend to move in on her. Looking for a third to join the party."


	13. Day 84

**Day 84:**

"...Logan, don't put that in your mouth!" Wendy scolded as she types away at her computer. She could hear someone coming down the steps.

"Mabel, one of our customers is complainging that the sweater they bought for their daughter is too small. This we should add a free sample of some-"

Wendy turned around to find that the person coming down was not Mable, but…

"Oh, hey Pacifica."

"Hey," Pacifica sighed sadly.

"Oof! That greeting was rough, what's eating you?" Wendy turned her chair around to face the younger woman. Pacifica pulled up an ottoman and sat down across from Wendy.

"I'm just...I'm tired of sitting around and doing nothing!"

"Oh," Wendy nodded. "Well, why not we go visit Soos, Melody, and Abuelita at the Mystery Shack? Or we could go mini golfing, you still owe me a rematch. Or-"

"No, not like that," Pacifica said. "Dipper's off getting a degree. You've got a job. Mabel's got a job. The Grunkles have a job. But I don't anymore!"

"You're fired? I thought you were just on Maternity Leave…"

"I am, technically," Pacifica sighed. "But I'm not getting paid, and I don't see how I'll be able to go back to paranormal investigation once the baby gets here. Not exactly a good idea to bring a baby to a haunted house, or monster infested cave."

"Yeah, probably not…" Wendy chuckles.

"So, I have no job right now!" Pacifica exclaimed.

"You're growing a baby in your uterus, that's your job right now."

"Sure, but I could do something else, right? I mean, pregnant women go to work everyday, you did!"

"True, but from what I've heard your morning sickness has been worse than most."

Pacifica crossed her arms and grumbled to herself.

"Look, Paz, don't beat yourself up, okay? Every woman's pregnancy is different. Some women have hardly any symptoms, some get almost all of the possible symptoms."

"Lucky me is in that later category!" Pacifica sighed.

"Well, good news is you're near the end of your first trimester so you should be seeing those pesky symptoms dying down a bit soon."

Pacifica sighed in relief.

"As for this whole wanting a job thing, well, why?" Wendy asked, to Pacifica's surprise. "I mean, you've got a husband who is willing to work while you stay home with the baby. Why work if you don't have to?"

"Because," Pacifica shifted uneasily. "I don't want to just coast on Dipper's paycheck, y'know. I want to contribute. I promised to be his partner in everything when we got married, and I intend to get that promise."

"Well, you are a better woman than I," Wendy chuckled. "If I had a husband who had a good job, I'd just stay around with my little critter all day," she gestured to Logan playing with a toy drum. "But, to help with your situation, as you have probably figured out Mabel's company has started to gain speed. Several of her customers have been begging her to make stuff for adults, but she's more suited for making clothes and toys for kids. I've suggested her hiring someone to make adult merchandise. Not sure if that sounds like somethign you'd like to do, but…"

"Mabel would never let me do it," Pacifica sighed. "She'd bound and determined to keep me bedridden until the baby comes.

"Leave that to me," Wendy winked. "I'll talk to her this afternoon about hiring you on."

"Really?"

"Sure, why not! As big as we're getting we NEED more people on board."

"Thank you so much, Wendy."

"Not a problem."

Pacifica began to skip back up the stairs.

"Oh, and Pacifica," Wendy called after her.

"Yes."

"You are doing a good job. Don't get discouraged."

"Thanks!" Pacifica finsihes runnign up the stairs. As she reached the second floor she noticed something hanging from the front door. She ran outside and opened it. It was a bouquet of white roses. Pacifica smiled as she took it off the door, though she was a bit confused. Dipper always bought her pink roses because he knew those were her favorite. Well, maybe wherever he got these from were out of pink. She took the envelope off the bouquet and opened it.

" _For the cutest cutie in Gravity Falls."_

Pacifica's brow furrowed. That didn't sound like Dipper. "For my Princess," "To my Love," "Beloved" or "Precious Wife." Those were all things Dipper would say, not "cutest cutie in Gravity Falls." Pacifica looked over at the bouquet again. Wrong color. Weird note. She picked the bouquet up. A chilling " _ding-a-ling"_ came from inside the flowers. Pacifica dug through the flowers, her insides growing cold. Sure enough, there was a tiny brass bell stuck in the middle of it.

She shrieked, dropped the flowers, and ran back into the house. She raced to her room and slammed the door behind her. She clicked on the "Hubby" icon on her phone. It rang several times, then she went to voice mail. Pacifica lowered the phone to her lap, leaning her head back against the wall.

Her phone buzzed.

"New Message from 'Hubby':

"Srry. Recording EVP's. Sup?"

Pacifica texted back: "Babe, did you send me roses?"

"No…"

Pacifica's breath hitched, as her mind began spinning. Who would want to send her roses outside of Dipper? And why would this someone put a bell in them? Unless this someone knew…

Her phone buzzed again.

"Princess, everything okay?"


	14. Day 90

**Day 90:**

Pacifica lay on her bed as she stared up at the ceiling. Wendy had been right. Her morning sickness had been lessening by the day since she entered her second trimester. And she had been able to talk Mabel into not being SO overbearing and worried about Pacifica all the time. Unfortunately Mabel was steadfast at not letting Pacifica start working for her until the baby was born and atleast 2 months old.

"Gotta give you a chance to get used to motherhood before you try to add a job on top of that," she insisted. Pacifica guessed that Mabel was right. Starting a new job was a big job. Having a baby was an even bigger job. And she was only 6 months away from giving birth at this point.

Holy smokes, she was only six months away from giving birth, where had the time gone?

" _I'll be there where then world stops turning, I'll be there when the storm is through,"_ her phone rang. She smiled at the sound of her wedding day song, and smiled even wider when she clicked on the face time icon to find her husband's smiling face.

"Hey, Princess," he grinned.

Pacifica blinked whens he saw that Dipper was in a very dark, very cramped, very dusty room.

"Where the heck are you?"

Dipper chuckled. "I am in a solitary confinement cell at Eastern State Penitentiary."

"Why?"

"Trying to catch some ghosts."

"And you thought now would be a good time to call me?"

"Well, I'm gonna be stuck here all night, and you do have a knack for attratcing ghosts."

"He-" Pacifica stopped, thought for a moment, then sighed in aggravation. "You're not wrong."

Dipper chuckled.

"So, how have you been?" Dipper asked.

"Okay, I have something to show you," Pacifica answered with a giddy smile as she stood up. "Hang on a minute let me get...oh, I should have worn a different shirt."

"Huh?" Dipper arched an eyebrow.

"It's oka, I can work with this," Pacifica assured him. "Okay I got it, hang on." She turned her phone around. Dipper went cross eyed at the sudden movement at first, but it soon stood still again and he could see the reflection of Pacifica in a mirror, a hand under her belly that now had a slight pooch to it.

"Oh, wow!" Dipper gasped.

"We're officially in the second trimester!" Pacifica cheered.

"We are?" Dipper asksed.

"Uh-huh," Pacifica turned the phone back around.

"That went fast," Dipper exclaimed.

"Yeah, it did," Pacifica agreed before whimpering a bit.

"Princess, you okay?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, I just miss you."

"I miss you, too."

"Do we really still have 64 days before you come home?"

"Afraid so."

"Ugh!"

"I know."

Pacifica sighed. "Are you at least having fun."

"Other than having a rude roommate, sure."

"That George guy is still being a butt?"

"Yup."

Suddenly, the door to the room Dipper was in opened.

"Oh, speak of the devil," Dipper grumbled.

"Hey," George grumbled as he walked in. "How you turn this thing on?"

"Um, push the green button," Dipper grumbled as he turned his attnetion back to his phone.

"Who ya talking to?" George asked. "Is it that tasty little snack from last week?"

Dipper could have snapped his neck with how quickly he turned his head back to face George. "Excuse me?"

"Lemme see!"

The phone shuffled around a bit. Pacifica squinted to try to see what was happening. Suddenly George's face showed up in the screen instead of Dipper's.

"Hey, cutie. Comeback for an encore."

"Ew! Where is my husband?" Pacifica screeched.

Right on cue, she heard Dipper shout "Gimmee that!"

The phone shuffled around a bit before it fell to the ground. Even though she couldn't see anything Pacifica could hear both men shouting at eachother.

"Dipper? Dipper! Are you okay?"

A loud "bang!" that sounded like a metal door begins slammed sounded out. Someone picked the phone up and, to Pacifica's relief, it was Dipper.

"You okay?" Dipper asked.

"Me? You're the one that just got into a fight it sounde like!"

"Nah, just threw him out of the room and locked the door," Dipper said as a series of loud knocks came from outside the door.

"Lemmee back in!"

Dipper sighed. "He's gonna do this all night isn't he? Terrific!"

"Is he always this...um...pushy?"

"'Pushy' is way to nice of a term for his behavior but, yeah, he doesn't seem to do well with taking 'no' for an answer."

"Can't you report him to a professor or something?"

"I will tomorrow."

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"Or, when I get off the phone with you."

"You can just call me back," Pacifica pointed out.

"You might be asleep then."

"I'll wake up."

"No, you need your sleep."

"Ugh!" Pacifica rolled her eyes. "Between you and Mabel I don't know how I'm supposed to accomplish anything during this pregnancy! I've told you not to worry so much, I'm fine."

"I'm you're husband, worrying about you is my job," Dipper reminded her.

Pacifica smiled as she chuckled softly.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"Ugh," Dipper glared at the door. "Go away! I'm busy!"

"Oh, are you?" George asked from the other side of the door. "Don't you think the ghosts will get scared away seeing your-"

"Not like that, my word!" Dipper shouted. "Low and behold I have a relationship with my wife that's more than just sex!"

"Say what you will, I know that's code for your not getting any at all because she has eyes for someone else…" Geroge chuckled horribly.

"I got her pregnant, dude!" Dipper snapped back.

"Hey!" Pacifica chastised.

"Sorry," Dipper blushed. "That was a little uncalled for."

"How do you know that kid is yours."

"He was the only one I was with the week I concieved," Pacifica shouted.

"Ha! Sure, keep telling him that-"

"No, I mean I was with him the whole week!" Pacifica explained. "And, yes, I do mean it in that way!"

Now it was Dipper's turn to blush.

"The whole week?!" George exclaimed.

"Never kept a girl happy for that long?" Pacifica pretended to be shocked. "Guess you don't have as much game as you let on."

"And he does?"

"Well, he's married to the hot blond, and you're not, so…"

Dipper tried in vain to hole back a snicker.

"Ah, bah, eh, um...eh, ah…"

"I think I finally got him to shut up," Pacifica said with a smile.

"So, who has a lot of game?" Dipper asked, his chest swelling in pride.

"Oh, stop it!" Pacifica scolded.

"Hey, um…" Dipper shifted nervously.

"What, love?"

"Can I see the baby bump again?" Dipper asked shyly.

Pacifica smiled. "Mm-hmm." She stood back infront of the mirror so Dipper could see. He smiled at the sight.

"Are you feeling anything yet?"

"Not yet," Pacifica answered. "Doctors says I probably won't feel anything for another-"

 _Crash!_ Something flew through Pacifica's window.

"Look out!" Dipper shouted. Pacifica jumped back as she looked at the object. Her heart skipped a beat. It was another bell, with a note tied to it.

"Pacifica, are you okay?" Dipper asked.

Pacifica leaned down and untied the note from the bell.

"Why'd you throw the roses away?"

Pacifica began to feel nauseous, and not in a morning sickness way.

"Pacifica, talk to me, what happened?"

Pacifica turned the camera around to show Dipper.

"Another one?" Dipper shouted.

"Yeah," Pacifica said.

"They still haven't caught whoever sent you those flower?"

Pacifica shook her head. "They said leaving flowers isn't a crime."

"Well, breaking windows certianly is!"

"Pacifica!" Mabel's voice came from down the hall. She opened the door. "What hap-"

Mabel's eyes fell on the bell. "I'm calling the cops!" she stated as she raced off. Pacifica nodded.

"Should I come home?" Dipper asked.

Pacifica shook her head. "No, keep working towards your degree. Besides, what good is you coming home going to do? It won't help them solve the problem any faster."

Despite her words, Pacifica wanted Dipepr there. She wanted him to hug her and tell her it was going to be okay. She wanted to sleep with the safety of his arms around her. But, she knew him finishing school and opening the program was what was best for their baby.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_ Rang out from the door of Dipper' room.

"Besides, sounds like you've got your own problems."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Well, Mrs. Pines," Sheriff Blubbs said as he scratched his head. "Sounds to me like you've got a stalker."

"Stalker?" Pacifica felt herself trembling.

"Yup. Probably someone who knew you and your parents given they keep using bells to try and scare you."

"Why would someone be stalking me?" Pacifica asked.

The sherrif shrugged. "Lots of reasons. Romance. Anger. Vengeance. Maybe they get some sort of twisted pleasure out of making you miserable. Whatever the reason, I'll need you to be on your guard from now on. Write down anything strange you see happening. Stuff goes missing. Unidentified calls. Someone standing at the corner of roads you're travelling down. Anything!"

Pacifica nodded as the sherrif bagged the bell and let out a sigh. "We'll do what we can, but so far he hasn't given us much to go off of. You just stay safe, okay?"

Pacifica nodded again.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"...wasn't meaning anything by it. Just some fun a flirting, sheesh!"

"Oh, well, excuse me if I have a problem with a guy trying to put the moves on my WIFE!" Dipper thundered as he and George sat in front of their professor, a stout old man with frizzy hair and odd, large glasses.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen!" the professor called. "Let us all calm down, shall we. Now, Mr. Shaw, while I'm sure you meant no harm, it seems to me that Mr. Pines has already told you that your actions have bothered him and his wife and they have asked you to stop."

"It was just-"

"I'm going to let you off with a warning this time, Mr. Shaw, but if I hear about this again I'm afraid I'll have to take disciplinary actions."

George stormed out of the small space in the penitentiary that was functioning as the professor's office for the time being.

"I'm very sorry about this, Mr. Pines. I do hope your wife is alright."

Dipper nodded his thanks as he headed back to his room and called Pacifica back.

"A stalker?"

"Yeah," Pacifica's voice was shaky.

"Okay, that's it. I'm coming home."

"No, don't."

"Pacifica, you have a stalker. I'm coming home."

"That isn't going to help."

"What do you mean it's not going to help? I need to be there to protect you! And dont' say 'I have Mabel.' These aren't the types of guys that respect or fear women, obviously. They'll only take threats from a man seriously."

"I know that, which is why I asked Mabel to call the Grunkles. Stan has already bought a plane ticket here for tomorrow."

Dipper let out a small sigh of relief. If there was one person he trusted to protect his family in his stead, it was Stan. That guy did not mind breaking a few bones or rules to keep his loved ones safe.

"You need to get your degree so we can be ready to take care of this baby when it comes," Pacifica continued. "We only have six months until the due date, so time isn't really on our side."

Despite his fears, Dipper felt his mouth curling into a smile. Even in these circumstances she was putting the baby first. She really was going to be a fantastic mother.

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Fine. But I'm going to start calling you twice a day from now on."

Pacifica chuckled. "Okay."

"Please be careful, love."

"I will be. You stay safe too."

"Will do."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Preston's phone buzzed. He waited until the guard had passed by then read it.

Hench #1: "And nerd boy is officially pissed off!"

The phone buzzed again.

Hench #2: "This one really shook her up. Called the cops."

Preston texted the first henchman back first.

"Good. Keep him angry and distracted. The less attention he's paying to Pacifica the better. Don't hurt him though. Yet. It's too early for that."

He then texted the second henchman. "Excellent. Keep it up. The more scared and stressed she is the better. Don't hurt her yet, though. It's too early for that."


	15. Day 95

**Day 95:**

Dipper dropped his bags in his room. They had finished their EVP class at Pennsylvania Eastern State Penitentiary. He had passed with an -A. Now they were moving onto the next location and next class, or in Dipper's case, two classes at the Lizzie Borden House. Here he, along with the other students, were going to study reasons for hauntings. He was doing his own, independent study, on why ghosts harm the living (as several ghosts in this house were known for scratching people). Hence he was placed in probably the most dangerous room, the room of Lizzie Borden herself. At least he had the room to himself this time.

Dipper began unpacking as he looked at his watch. It was 9:30 a.m. He could call Pacifica, but she was probably still asleep. The further along her pregnancy went, the later she slept, which was fine by him. She needed rest, and when she was asleep she wasn't worried about her stalker. There hadn't been anymore incidences. Perhaps Stan being there had scared the dude off. Stan was an intimidating man, and even though he hadn't lived in Gravity falls for seven years he still had quite the repuation amongst the townsfolk.

As Dipper put his clothes away he came across the bags of goodies he'd bought while in Philadelphia. While most of his classmates went out drinking, clubbing, or gambling, he'd spent most of his time at a popular shopping mall. He didn't really have time to play around in bars, clubs, or casinos. He had a baby to get ready for, and he never was really a fan of loud, crowded places. Also, he was married, and those places, especially when accompanied with the wrong kind of crowd, would just get him in trouble. Not that he would ever have eyes for anyone other than Pacifica, that didn't mean other women wouldn't have an eye for him. Especially when alcohol was involved. And again, he wasn't a fan of being squished in a crowd of drunk, sweaty, rowdy people he didn't know. That was Mabel's cup of tea, not his.

His time at the mall had been productive, though. He'd gotten Pacifica a five pairs of black maternity leggings, three maternity sweaters: one red, one navy, and one gray. He'd also gotten her two long button down blouses, one pink and one denim that she could wear with the leggings. These clothes were all plain, but he did that on purpose. PAcifica was picky, so he wasn't going to pick out anything with patterns, or ruffles, or any other decoration without her input.

For the baby he'd gotten a set of unisex (as they still did not know the gender) bibs with sheep on it, a stuffed sheep with a secuity blanket attached to it, a pack of blankets, with bears on it, a tiny bathrobe, and a set of plain white onesies, mittens, socks, and hats. He also got a long stuffed catepillar with a letter of the alphabet written on each section of it's body, an inflatable baby bathtub that looks like a duck, and a wooden train.

His shopping and refusal to join in the rowdy pass times had gotten him kind of annexed from his classmates. George had even tried to start a rumor that he was secretly gay and picking up guys at the mall behind his wife's back. That didn't work out well for George because, well, Dipper was not gay, and even if he was there were much better places to go and try to mingle with gay men, such as the gay bar right next to the casino George and the other's often visited. If Dipper was gay, why did he insist on staying behind instead of tagging along…?

Yeah, Geroge was an annoying pain in the butt, but at least he was a stupid pain in the butt. Which turned out to be a good thing, as he had also tried to make it look like there were lines of cocaine hidden under Dipper's bed. Thankfully, he'd been too dumb or too scared to get actual cocaine, and had instead used sugar from the coffee shop downstairs. Even Lazy Susan could have seen it was fake. Their professor thought it was just a joke. Dipper, on the other hand, knew what was up but had chosen to let it go. He didn't want to make things worse.

As Dipper finished unpacking, he looked up the files that his professor had shared with him on his laptop. The first class was to bgein that day at 12:00 sharp, so he needed to go ahead and print off the work packets. He was not going to wait until 11:30, because everyone would try to print their stuff off then, and there was only one printer in the whole house, in the main office. He didn't want to fight off people for a printer. Opening the last of the files, he headed downstairs. He slipped into the office, plugged in his laptop, and hit print. He immediately got an error sign.

"Low ink. Hm…"

Apparently someone, or several someone's, got to the printer before he did. He searched around for more ink. As he kneeled down to look through the cabinet, he found a stack of ink cartridges. As he picked some up he noticed two pieces of paper that had slipped under the cabinets. He grabbed them, thinking they were pages from someone else's work packets. Dipper replaced the ink, hit print on his computer, then looked at the two pieces of paper he'd found to see if he could track down who was missing a few pages fr-

"WHAT?" Dipper raged. These weren't work packet pages. They were pictures of Pacifica. What's worse, they WERE pictures of him and Pacifica, but he'd been cropped out. One was even a day of their wedding! Dipper's hands shook as he stormed out of the office and back up the stairs.

"SHAW!" he screamed. All of his classmates poked their heads out of their rooms as Dipper stormed to George's room he shared with Drew. He threw the door open, startling both of it's inhabitants.

"What on-" George stuttered.

"What the hell is this!?" Dipper thundered as he held up the pictures.

George shrugged. "I dunno."

"Why are you printing off pictures of my wife!?"  
"How do you know it was me?" George asked.

"Because you're the only one here who has tried to make move in on my wife, I've had to involve the professors because of you, so who else would it be?"

George shrugged. "Doesn't mean it was me. Besides, what's it matter, their just pictures."

"Pictures of my WIFE! Who no one here except for me hasmet, and therefore, should not have pictures of her. Furthermore, this one," Dipper held up the offending piece of paper. "Is of us on our WEDDING DAY and I've been cropped out! How do y'think this is gonna make me feel, you creep!?"

"Not my fault some folks don't like to look at your ugly mug," George shrugged. "Still can't prove it was me."

"Oooooh," Dipper hissed. "Y'know what! You wanna go? 'Cuz I don't mind stepping outside for a little while."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"NOOOOO!" the professor yelled as he rushed into the room. "Let's not do that, what's going on?"

Dipper explained the situation.

"Well," The professor rubbed his head. "I'm afraid George is right, Dipper, you do not have any actual proof that it was him who printed off the pictures."

"But-"

"I'm sorry. And I cannot allow either of you to engage in a physical altercation, if you do, I'll have to kick you out of this trip."

Dipper fumed as he stompedout of the room. He couldn't be kicked out. He need to complete this. He rushed back to the office, collected his things, and locked himself in his room. He went onto all of his and Pacifica's social media pages. They'd all been set on private, and neither of them were friends with George. Where had he-

Mabel.

Both of these were pictures Mabel was tagged in and she kept all her stuff public because she likes making new friends. Dipper grabbed his phone and called his sister.

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"I'm so sorry, bro, bro!" Pacifica heard Mabel crying from the livingroom. "I didn't think that-"

Pacifica stood up and walked to the livingroom. Why was Dipper calling Mabel at this time? And why'd she sound upset.

"I know, I know you've warned me. But I always thought I was the only one in danger. I didn't someone would be so thorough as to-well, of course I'm going to set everything to private from now on-I agree!-You think I'd do anything to put my little niece or nephew at risk?"

"What's going on?" Pacifica asked, voice shaking.

"GAH! Mabel fumbled with her phone as she jumped at the sound of Pacifica's voice. "Oh, hey Pazzy. Nothing's wrong just-"

"Mabel. Mabel. MABEL!" Dipper's voice yelled on the phone.

"Blah! Oh, yeah bro? Yes Pacifica's here-What? Are you su-Well, okay…"

Mabel handed the phone to Pacifica. "Dipper wants to talk to you."

Pacifica took the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Princess."

"Dipper, what's going on?"

Dipper took a deep sigh. He didn't want to tell Pacifica what had happened. This was the last thing she needed, but she had to know. Keeping this a secret would not help either of them. He explained the situation.

"So, you're saying I now have TWO stalkers!?"  
"I'm not sure if he's doing this because of you, or because he's mad at me," Dipper said. "He's been out to get me ever since I turned him into the professor. Even tried saying I was cheating on you with a dude."

"Well, I hope it was at least a cute rich dude," Pacifica tried to joke, but Dipper could tell she was still scared.

"Hey, I'll get to the bottom of this," Dipper said. "Don't worry about it. I'm not going to let him hurt you."

"It's not me I'm worried about. I'm miles away from this guy. You on the other hand…"

"I'll be fine. But while we're on the subject, has the other guy showed up again?"

"No, not since Stan go here," Pacifica answered.

"Good." Dipper checked his watch. "I've got to get to class. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay, be careful," Pacifica said.

"I will be. I love you."

"I love you too."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

" _Problem."_

Preston sighed as the mesage caem through. " _What is it?"_

" _Well, good news first. I got him pissed, and I mean PISSED!"_

" _Good!"_

" _Problem is, it was over me printing off pictures of his wife."_

" _I told you to keep his focus OFF of her!"_

" _I tried other things! I tried shoving him around and just getting in his way whenever I could! I tried planting fake drugs under his bed! I even started a rumor that he was secretly gay and cheating on his wife with a man! None of it worked! The only thing that seems to get him really riled up is if someone goes after his wife!"_

Preston rubbed his chin. The boy was more smitten that he'd previously thought.

" _Oh, but if he fights me he'll get kicked out."_

" _Good! Get him to do that!"_ Preston replied before going over to his other henchman.

" _And?"_

" _She's still got he wrinkly old body guard following her everywhere. Can't get close to her."_

Preston nodded as he thought. " _Prehaps we should try a more subtle approach…"_


	16. Day 96

**Day 96:**

 _Thump! Thump! Thump!_

Dipper opened his eyes. The drawers of his dresser were opening and closing on their own. Most 22 year old guys would have screamed like a baby. But not Dipper. He rolled his eyes, sat up, turned on his night vision camera that was lent to him, set it up, and stated:

"Alright, Lizzie. I know you don't want me here, and I don't want to be here, so I'm going to level with you. I need to do this because my wife is about to have a baby, and I don't have the job or position to take care of this. So I'm working on a paranormal degree to fix that. So, I'm not leaving for another two weeks. Sorry. But it's only two weeks so you work with me on this and we can make this as painless as possible."

He lied back down. An old clock flew off the shelf and landed in the floor.

"Sorry," Dipper sighed. "But it is what it is."

A framed picture of Lizzie flew into the floor.

"If you think you are going to scare me away, you're not. I've seen some crap."

Nothing happened for a while. Then the door opened and the hall light switch came on.

"Nope, not leaving." Dipper insisted.

A candlestick lifted off a table then flew down the hall.

"Ouch!" someone shouted from down the hall.

Dipper frowned in confusion. Stood up, grabbed the camera, and walked into the hall. George was lying in the floor, rubbing the back of his head.

"What are you doing up?" Dipper deamanded to know.

"What are you doing up?" George returned.

"Ghost woke me up."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Well, we are sleeping in a haunted house on a paranormal investiagtion…"

"Whatever," George said as he got up and walked off. "Just gotta use the restroom."

"Bathroom is that way," Dipper said as he followed after him. "Where are you really going?"

"None of your business," George muttered. Dipper narrowed his eyes. He wasn't convinced, but he didn't want to get in trouble. He turned and started heading back to this room, then stopped and looked over his shoulder. George was just now heading down the staris. Dipper waited behind a little while, then followed at a distance so George wouldn't notice him. He was only half way down when he heard the printer going off. Dipper quickened the pace as he ran to the office. He almost screamed at the sight, but kept his head, and ran up to the professor's room.

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"George, I hope you realize how serious this is," the professor said.

"It was just a prank!" George insisted.

"Just a prank!?" Dipper screeched. "It's bad enough you hacked into my messages, but that you would go and print off private pictures of my wife that were only for me to see! With the intentions of putting the in everyone's room!?"

"Oh, c'mon, it-"

"This is a serious isue, George," the professor said again. "This qualifies as hacking and exploitation. If he wishes to, Mr. Pines could press charges against you for this."

"Oh, and you can bet I will!" Dipper seethed.

"And what will that do?" George asked.

"Maybe teach you not to creep on other men's wives? Or women in general."

"B-b-b-but I didn't hurt anyone!"

"You broke the law, Mr. Shaw," the professor sighed. "And have put Mr. Pines and his wife in a severely uncomfortable situation. This is also not the first time you have harrassed Mr. Pines, if I am correct."

"I'm just trying to loosen him up! I mean, c'mon. He never goes out on the town! Never mingles outside of our class! Never even drinks! That's not normal for a 22-year-old guy! I was trying to help him."

"WHA-"

The professor cut George off. "What Mr. Pines does with his free time is none of your business. Even if it was, the fact that he has a different idea of fun and relaxation than you and the other students in this program does not excuse you harrassing him."

"He's a prick!" George insisted. "He hardly even talks to us."

"No, I hardly talk to YOU. For obvious reasons."

"And, as I understand," the professor continued. "Mr. Pines has a family to care for, and therefore has priorities outside of making friends that are taking up most of his time."

"But-"

"I don't know what your reasons on, and it doesn't really matter. What you have been doing is unexcusable, and I have no choie but to expell you."

George's mouth fell open. "Over a prank!?"

"Over a crime," the professor stated flatly. "I have already called a Uber. Here is your plane ticket back to Maryland. Pack your bags, and wait outside to be picked up."

George stood, flipped the chair, and pointed a finger at Dipper. "This isn't over Pines!" he shouted, and then stormed out.

"I'm so sorry, Dipper," the professor sighed. "If there's anything I can do…"

"Thanks," Dipper nodded before collecting the pictures George had printed off and heading back to his room. He went into the bathroom of his room and began burning the pictures one by one. As he did so he heard a small shudder in his room. He smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Lizzie."

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

" _Problem."_

Preston sighed. " _What?"_

" _I got caught and now I'm the one getting kicked out! I needed these classes, man!"_

Preston thought. This was definately a setback. Still, he could twist this to his favor. Afterall, what hurt the boy hurt Pacifica, and he needed her to feel pain. " _I'll pay you back. Now, make sure to keep pestering him."_

" _Come on, dude! I've already lost enough!"_

" _I'll double what I said I'd pay you. Now, here's what I want you to do…"_


	17. Day 102

**Day 102:**

"And...who's there!" Stan shouted as he opened the door to the hall bathroom of the second story, a baseball bat held over his head. He shuffled inside, opened the closet, and held the bat up again. "Who's there!"

This had become routine for the older man, sneaking through every room in the house with a bat to make sure there was no one lurking anywhere. Pacifica was lounging on the couch, watching him. She was grateful that he was so willing a thorough in protecting her. At the same time, though, she was upset he even had to be there, looking out for her. Pacifica sighed as she ran her hands over her belly. By now her pregnancy was quite obvious. There was still no movement, but all the Dr.'s visits said that the baby was healthy. Pacifica smiled and began humming softly to her baby.

Stan finished his rounds, sat down on the seat next to Pacifica's couch and flipped on the T.V.

"How ya feelin' doll?"

"Okay," Pacifica said. "Didn't find anything."

"Nope, maybe the creep really did get scared off," Stan said.

Pacifica opened her mouth to say something, when she notices something, the light bouncing off something outside the window. Pacifica squinted and stared. It was a lense. A camera lense. And someone using it. She screamed and pointed. Stan looked where she was pointing. He didn't even bother going out the door, he raced to the window, threw it open and jumped out on the roof with the camera man.

"Hey!"

The cameraman ran off.

"Get back here you creep!" Stan shrieked as he chased after him, bat in hand. Mabel and Wendy, with Logan on her hip, raced from downstairs.

"What happened?" Wendy asked.

"He was taking pictures of me, right there!" Pacifica trembled as she screamed and pointed to the open window.

"Mabel, call the police," Wendy handed Logan to Pacifica and raced outside to her truck. She took her tire wrench out of her trunk and raced after Stan and the stalker.

"Paz-Paz, you okay?" Logan asked as he gently wrapped her tears away. Pacifica hugged the little boy.

"I'm okay, Logan, I'm okay."

"Hello?" Mabel asked. "Hello, yes, officer? He's here! The stalker, he was taking pictures on my roof!"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Deputy Durland finished taking DNA swabs of the roof.

"...and you didn't get a look at his face?" Sheriff Blubs asked.

Pacifica shook her head. "No, I didn't."

The door opened and Stan and Wendy walked back in.

"He got away," Stan muttered.

"Sorry, Pacifica," Wendy sat next to the younger woman and set an arm around her.

"Mrs. Pines, we'll stay here to keep a look out for this guys while the DNA tests are running. If we don't catch him tonight though, I may suggest you move somewhere else."

"I'll call Soos," Stan said. "If nothing else you can stay in the basement. No windows, only one way down."

Pacifica nodded shakily as Mabel sat next to her and hugged her.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Dipper yawned as he walked to the front desk to get his hotel key. He'd passed both of his Lizzie Borden classes with A+'s. Now they were at the third location, the Waverly Hills Sanitorium. Well, technically he was at the motel they were staying at during this time. He made his way up to the second floor where his room was. Once he was finished here, he'd be halfway done. Halfway to being able to go back done.

He had a faint smile on his face. George was gone. Pacifica had had no more incidences with her stalker, everything was-

He opened the door, and his heart sank. The walls, floors, bed, table, television, were covered with pictures of Pacifica and articles. Dipper pulled off some of the articles.

" _How extreme stress causes miscarriages…"_

" _Miscarriages after falling down stairs…"_

" _Poisons that will kill the baby but not the mother…"_

Pacifica's pictures weren't from social media. They were pictures of her going about her day-to-day life in Gravity Falls. Words in red ink were written all over the pictures.

One was of her drinking water at Lazy Susan's. The words written over it read:

" _I could poison your wife right here, but I didn't."_

There were several like this.

" _I could shoot her."_

" _I could snatch her away."_

" _I could push her down the steps and run away before the cops were even called."_

There was a note in red paint written on the walls.

" _If you don't want the next note to be written in your wife and baby's blood, you'll drop the charges."_

Dipper's insides grew cold. George and the stalker in Gravity Falls were working together. He stepped outside and dialed a number.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sheriff Blub's phone rang. "Hello?...What?...You think so?...Alright, call the cops out there, and let's see what we can do here…"

He hung up. Pacifica was staring at him with scared eyes.

"Mrs. Pines, there's been an interesting development…"


	18. Day 108

**Day 108:**

" _...Do you understand the plan?"_

George nodded as he texted back " _Yes."_

He put his phone in his pocket and headed out the door of his hotel room. He closed the door behind him.

"George Shaw?" a voice called.

George turned and saw two police officers headed toward him. "Are you George Shaw."

"Yeah?"

"Mr. Shaw you're under arrest," one of the cops said plainly as he took out a pair of handcuffs. George took off running.

"Stop!"

He didn't he kept running, practically jumped down the stairs, and round the corner to find another cop racing towards him. "Freeze!"

George tried to turn and run, but the first two cops came up behind him.

"Put your hands up!"

With no other choice, George raised his hands.

"Mr. Shaw you are under arrest for stalking, exploitation, threats of murder, breaking and entry, and hacking of personal social media accounts. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning…"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Look," George sighed as he sat in an interrogation room. "Fine, okay. I hacked into the guy's social media and printed off racy pics and nudes his wife sent him to pass out, but I didn't break into his hotel room, okay! I didn't threaten to kill his wife! I wish no harm towards him. What I did was a prank that got out of hand, I was just trying to poke fun at the guy and got carried away."

"Then why was there a message sent to him saying you'd kill his wife if he didn't drop the charges?" the officer asked.

"I dunno," George shrugged. "Maybe someone is trying to frame me. I'm already in trouble with they guy, I'm an easy target I guess."

"Who is Stony West?" the officer asked.

"Just a guy I met in an online gaming lounge," Geroge answered.

"A guy willing to pay you to harrass his son-in-law?"

"Oh, you mean you haven't run into looneys online?" George asked. "I don't even know who his son-in-law is!"

"Who is Ben Shirrar?"

"Ben what?" George asked.

"Ben Shirrar, who is he?"

"I don't know any Ben She-Rah."

The cop pulled a cellphone out of a manilla evidence folder. "You have him listed on your phone as a contact…"

"Oh," George squinted at the phone. "Oh, yeah...I think I worked with him once at the Burger King. I didn't stay there long, kind of forgot everyone's names-"

"Mr. Shaw, you and I both know you never worked at a Burger King," the officer stated.

George swallowed shakily. "Eh, guess it was a Wendy's then…"

"Mr. Shaw you have never worked at a fast food restaraunt. You've been living off your parent's substancial and generous allowances to you, which they recently cut you off from after you got a DUI. You were looking for a quick paycheck, someone contacts you and says 'hey, I will give 10,000 dollars if you pester my son-in-law who happens to be in your class.' You did so, got caught, got put on behavioral probation at your school, and now you want revenge."

"Look, it's not like that," George said. "I didn't take the gig, okay? But when I met Dipper I realized that, hey, Stony was right, this guy is a douche. When I see someone who's a douche, I don't like it and I try to teach them a lesson, and I got carried away. That's it! I didn't break into nobody's hotel room, I didn't paint no blood-red message, I didn't threaten to kill a pregnant woman!"

"Mr. Shaw, I never said that there was a message painted in red paint on a hotel room wall," the officer said. George's face turned white. The officer leaned back in the chair and began going through George's phone.

"These are copies of the pictures that were left in the hotel room. They were sent to you by Ben Shirar, so let's try again, who is Ben Shirar?"

George sighed. "I don't know. I never met him, or talked to him. Stony gave me his number, he sent me the pictures. I never spoke with him."

"Who is Stony West?"

"Never met him either," George said. "I just knew he was willing to pay for what I thought was an easy gig. Look, officer, I never really wanted to hurt anyone! I was just trying to make ends meet, please, you've got to understand!"

The officer flipped through the phone again. "This message from Stony states you were planning to go shoot Mr. Pines-"

"With a stun gun! Just a little zap. I wouldn't have done anything-"

"You were going to take him to the woods and dump him there unconcious."

"Yeah, but not kill him!"

"Do you not think something bad could happen to an unconcious man in the woods?"

"Well….I...uh…."

The officer stood up, grabbed his files, and left.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Preston dug at his pile of gruel in the jail cafeteria. There was a television with the news going on. He wasn't paying much attention to it until he heard-

"...Mason Roderick 'Dipper' Pines."

Preston whirled around. "States that Shaw, along with at least one other man, had been stalking and harrassing him and his wife for weeks. Police are still on the look out for the stalker…"

Preston hung his head and smiled softly. He knew that idiot would slip up eventually. Onto phase two…

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Pacifica ran her hand over her stomach as she watched the news. Dipper was safe! The man harassing him was in custody. Now, as soon as they could find her stalker everything would go back to normal. Oh, how she wished he was here. That she could hug him. Kiss him. Tell him how everything was okay now that she knew he was okay.

Her phone dinged. She looked down, expecting it to be Dipper.

 _"You see what happens when you associate with the_ _riffraff?"_

Pacifica insides grew cold. "Riff-Raff." There was only one person she knew who used that term.

 _"That boy hasn't been able to protect you, has he?"_

Pacifica's fingers fumbled as she dialed to call the cops.

 _"I still can, though. I forgive, pet. I really do. I'll protect you from these stalkers. I won't press charges against you for slander or lysin if you just do the right thing now. Tell the authorities what you must to get me out, and you and your baby will be safe."_

Pacifica sniffed as she hit the "call" button.


	19. Day 109

**Day 109:**

"I need to go!" Dipper insisted as he talked to the three investigators.

"That will only make things worse," one of the investigators, a ginger woman, said. "They wanted a rise out of you. They want you to react. If you do so they'll only raise the stakes."

"But this is my wife, my pregnant wife-"

"I know it's hard but you cannot, under any circumstances, give them what they want."

"You don't know what he's like," Dipper inisisted. "You don't know what he did to her. I have to go-"

"As difficult as it is I suggest you try to get along with your life as well as you can."

"I need to be there for her!"

"Mr. Pines," a man with a bald spot coming in set a hand on his shoulder. "As hard as it may be, the best thing you can do for your wife is to stay put. If you return now you'll only aggravate the situation. Investigator Lawrence is correct. Stalkers of this nature thrive off causing reactions and panic in their victims. You cannot give that to them."

Dipper hung his head, heart flying, and not in the good way. The investigators had just told him Preston may have been involved in all this, but now they weren't letting him go home to Pacifica.

"We have some leads we are going to follow up on now. Don't do anything crazy."

The investigators left Dipper's hotel room, after the vandalism he'd been moved to another motel, though he was still expected to participate in all the classes.

Dipper was shaking as he reached for his phone and factimed his wife.

"Hey," she called in a weak voice as her face appeared on the screen. She was smiling, trying to stay strong, but he could tell she was scared.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Pacifica," Dipper all but whispered. "I should be there. I should have never left you."

"Babe, this isn't your fault," Pacifica said. "He's in jail! How can he get to me in jail, right? I don't-" Pacifica rubbed her forehead with her hand.

"Princess?"

Pacifica pulled her hand away to reveal her eyes were brimmed with tears. "It wasn't even him trying to get me back that was the worst. He wants to get to the baby."

"That's not going to happen," Dipper said quickly. "I will literally kill him if he tries."

"You'll have to get in line, kid," Stan said from off screen. He sauntered into view, cleaning a gun. "Wendy, Mabel, and I have all called dibs. P.S. I called Ford, he's coming down to install one of his new security systems he's been tinkering with."

"Good," Dipper sighed in relief. That would atleast make him a little bit better. Maybe it would be subtle enough that the stalkers wouldn't notice.

Pacifica wiped a few tears away. "I thought I was rid of him.."

"We'll still get rid of him. He's already in jail so this is only going to make things worse for him."

"And what then? What if he comes after me again a-"

"Then things will get even worse again. Eventually he's going to have to give up and accept the fact he lost."

"But what will he do until then? How desperate is he going to get?"

Dipper gulped. That's what he was worried about, but he couldn't let Pacifica know that: "That's why this time, we're going to throw the book at him. We get him locked for as long as we can in the tightest security prison we can, and as far away from us as we can."

Pacifica sniffled and nodded.

"I love you so much, Princess, and I wish I could be there."

"Get you degree," Pacifica said. "No reason our lives should stop just because of them."

Dipper nodded. "I'll do my best. I promise I'm going to give you the best life possible when I get back."

"You already have."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

" _Clang! Clunk!"_

Preston's eyes snapped open as he heard his door being unlocked and half a dozen guards came in.

"Up, arms on the wall," one ordered.

Preston obeyed, but not without asking: "What's the meaning of this?"

One of the guards kept his club pressed against Preston's back as the other five guards serached the cell.

"Got it!" one of them called, and held up the phone. Preston felt his breath hitch. She told on him? No! That is not how that was supposed to work! She was supposed to look to him for comfort! For protection! No turn him in!

"Hope you still got your attoreney's number, Northwest, because you're about to be in a world of hurt!"


	20. Day 115

**Day 115:**

Dipper laid on his bed, chewing through the fourth pencil that night as he tried to study for his final. It wasn't going well. He had so much on his mind. Was Pacifica okay? Was the baby okay? Was the third stalker still out there? Had they caught him? Was he going to strike soon? What was going to happen? Oh, how he wanted to go back!

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Stan yawned as he sprawled out of the couch. Everyone else was asleep, but not him. He had made apoint since they found out Preston was involved to stay up at night and sleep druing the day so no one could get to Pacifica, or Mabel, or Wendy, or Logan.

He flipped through the channels, looking for something that would keep him awake. He stopped on an episode of "Baby Fights."

"Heh, T.V., it knows what I want!" He chuckled as he took a sip of his Pit Soda, and nearly choked. "Ack! The pits, I always forget about the pits!"

He leaned back in his chair, and absent-mindedly twirled the bat in his hand. He every now and then glanced own the hall to see if anyone was sneaking down there. He didn't see any intruder, but rather Pacifica.

"Hey, doll. You okay?"

"Yeah, just getting a drink of water," Pacifica answered.

"'Kay," Stan nodded as he turned back to his television.

Pacifica ran a hand over her belly. It wasn't huge. She wasn't waddling yet, but it was obvious that she was pregnant.

Stan frowned at her. She was worried. Scared. It was all over her face. That kind of stress wasn't good for the baby. To say he was worried would be an understatement. Dipper just needed to get done and get home. He didn't understand why the investigators insist he stay away. Something about not giving a reaction to the stalkers? He got why Dipper listened, though. The boy was scared and was willing to do whatever the experts said would keep his family safe. Still, Stan believed once Dipper got home it would help take stress off Pacifica. He just hoped nothing bad happened to Pacifica until then. As Stan watched Pacifica fill up a glass of water, he noticed something moving in the window. He didn't move yet, though, he waited until Pacifica was back in her room.

"Have a good night rest, kiddo."

"I'll try my best."

The minute she closed the door bheind her Stan picked up his bat and went outside. He tip-toed around the the back of the house. There he was was. Stalker number three, peaking in through the kitchen window, and camera in hand. He was now trying to find away to climb over the roof to Pacifica's window. Stan pulled out the grappling hook Mabel and lended him from his back pocket and took aim. He shot at the stalker, hitting him in the back of the head and hooking his hood. He hit the button to retract the hook and pulled the guy off the roof.

"Ben Shirrar I presume?" Stan asked. "I think it's about time you stop stalking my kids, bub!"

"Okay! Okay! Okay! You got me! I'm sorry!" Said a pudgy little man with a bald spot in his mustard color hair and scraggly beard. "I was just doing a job! I never meant any harm! Just don't call he cops! Please!"

"Eh, too late to be asking for any kind of mercy," Stan said as he twirled his bat.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Ben asked as he tried to back up. "You're not going to kill me are you?"

"No! Why would I do that?" Stan answered. "You can't get locked upin jail if I kill you. I know from experience that a lot of the guys in there don't like folks who prey on women. Especially pregnant women."

Ben gulped and shuddered. "But...you're not going to hurt me are youu?"

"Oh, I never said that," Stan loomed over Ben. "I just said I would kill you."

"Stan?"

Stan turned to see Wendy peaking out of her bedroom window. "What's going on?"

"Hey, Wendy, is Logan asleep?"

"Yeah…"

"Good."

"Who is that?"

"Oh, this? This is the punk who's been taking all those pictures. Now go back inside and close the curtains because this isn't going to be pretty!"

And with that he hit Ben in the arm with the bat.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"And you just found him like this?" Sheriff blubs askes as he and Durland picked up and cuffed the bloodied and sobbing Ben.

"Yup. He must have take a hard tumble off the roof."

"Sounds legit," the sheriff nodded as he shoved Ben into the care and drove off.

Stan watched them drive off with a satisfied gleam in his eye. That ought to teach him and send a message to the other two of what happened when you messed with the Pines family.

"Is he gone?" Pacifica asked meekly from the deck doorway.

"Yup, he's gone. And he won't be taking any pictures anytime soon. I made sure of that," Stan answered.

Pacifica nodded slowly.

"Hey, its okay," Stan assured her. "They're all locked up now and we can start prosecuting and charging. Hard scary part is over."

Pacifica nodded again. Stan pulled her into a hug.

"You'll be okay."

"Thank you."

"Anytime, kiddo."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"...and a break through in the case of a man already convited of child abuse stalking his daughter from behind bars."

Dipper perked up at what the news reporter said and turned the volume up.

"Preston Northwest was sentenced to twenty years in jail fro abusing his daughter Pacifica throughout his childhood. But that didn't stop him from hiring two men to stalk and torment his daughter and son-in-law. Tonight the last of the trio was arrested after trying to break into the house Northwest's daughter was staying at and the family, who has asked we maintain their privacy, will be pressing charges…"

Dipper collapsed against the bed. He felt as if the whole world had been taken off his shoulders. They were all behind bars. Pacifica was safe. The baby was safe. They were going to be okay. He felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes as he picked up the phone and clicked on the "Princess 33" icon.

"Dipper?" Pacifica voice called.

"Is it true? They got him?"

"They got him."

Dipper collapsed against the bed again. "So, you're okay?"

"I'm okay."

A silence followed.

"Dipper?"

Pacifica heard a small sniffled.

"Babe, are you-"

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"Me too." Pacifica smiled. "Now come home soon, please?"

"I will as soon as I can, I swear."


	21. Day 145

**Day 145:**

Pacifica sat on the couch at Mabel's watching some episode of "A Baby Story," "One Born Every Minute," and even "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant." Now that she didn't have to worry about some creep peaking in at her or trying to snatch her away she could focus back on getting ready for the baby. Or, that was the idea. The trail was still coming up. She had to consult lawyers and all that, and collect evidence. And to top it all off, Dipper still wasn't home. She still had five days until she could have her husband home again, and she could not wait for them to get done and over with.

 _Ding!_

Her phone went off. She checked it.

 _Hubby: Hey, love, what have you been up to?_

Pacifica smiled as she texted back.

 _Princess 33: Sitting on the cough watching pregancy shows._

 _Hubby: Yeah? What's everyone else up to?_

 _Princess 33: Mabel is meeting with a boutique owner who may want to sell some of her merch. Stan and Ford are helping Soos set up a new display case at the Mystery Shack. And Wendy is at a Mommy and Me class with Logan._

 _Hubby: So you're alone?_

 _Princess 33: Yup. It feels nice to not have to constantly have someone with me!_

The door opened and Pacifica's jaw dropped open.

"Hope you don't mind me cutting in on your alone time, Love."

"Dipper?"

The young man in question smiled as he dumped his bags on the floor and ran towards his wife. Pacifica jumped off the couch and ran to him, forgetting momentarily that she was preganant as she leaped into his awaiting arms. Dipper was thrown off balance for a little bit by the newly added weight, but quickly recovered as he tackled his wife's mouth with his. Pacifica wrapped her legs around his waist and burired her fingers into his hair.

"I thought...you weren't...coming back...until Saturday…" Pacifica gasped between kisses.

"Eh, I finished my work early and got to slip off two days early," Dipper answered with a grin as he pinned her against the wall, barely able to get the words out before Pacifica dove in for yet another kiss. It was almost as if they'd been starving for the past two months and a half months, and were now finally getting the nourishment they had desperately needed.

"You got done a week early?" Pacifica asked when they had to break for air. "How?"

"You'd be surprised what a man will do for the woman he loves," Dipper answered as he kissed her forehead. She giggled as he kissed her nose, her cheeks, her jawline...

"Oh, Pacifica, I missed you!" Dipper gasped as he began kissing her neck.

"I missed you too," Pacifica answered, scraping her nails on that section of his hair where she knew he was sensitve. Dipper let out a noise that sounded like a growl and gently nibbled on that one spot on her neck where he knew she was sensitive. Pacifica gasped, then pushed him off of her.

"Wha-" Dipper asked as she grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hall to her room and locked the door.

"I don't know when the other's are coming back, but I haven't seen you over two months so I ain't sharing today," Pacifica explained as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Dipper chuckled as he cupped her face in one of his hands, and then placed hi other on her belly.

"Oh, wow!" he gasped. "Look at you."

"I know," Pacifica blushed. "I'm getting pretty big."

Dipper fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head on her belly.

"Daddy's home, Peanut," he whispered as he kissed Pacifica's belly. "Any movement yet?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"No," Pacifica answered. "They've been pretty still thus far."

Dipper smiled faintly as he stared at her, all the adoration of the world in his eyes.

"What?" Pacifica asked.

"I love you," Dipper answered in a faint whisper.

"I love you too," Pacifica replied.

"I thought I was going to go crazy being away from you for that long. Especially with everything that happened," Dipper stood back to his feet and cupped her face in his hands. Pacifica closed her eyes and relaxed into his touch.

"I don't think I slept for two weeks I was so worried about you," he continued as he stroked her cheekbones with his thumbs. "If the investigators hadn't told me coming back might have made things worse I would have been here in a flash."

"I know," Pacifica answered.

"I'm never leaving you like that again," he promised as he leaned his forehead against hers. "You or the baby." He let his hand trail the curves of her body before letting one grip her hip and the other rest on her stomach. Pacifica tangled her fingers into his hair again, pulling him closer to her.

"You'll never have to," Pacifica smiled. "Because you did it."

Dipper smiled softly. "By some miracle!"

"I'm so proud of you!" Pacifica beamed, now she was the one to cup his face in her hands.

"Not as proud as I am of you," Dipper said. "I don't know any other person who could have stayed as calm as you did throughout all of this."

"I just did what I had to do."

"Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that you, my love, are easily the breavest person I know, and I could not be prouder to call you my wife," he kissed her again before adding. "And the mother of my child."

Pacifica just smiled as she stared into his eyes, get lost in the warm, brown glow she'd so missed. Dipper reached up with one hand, leaving his other tracing circle on her belly, and began tracing the countours of her face, stopping every now and then to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"You're even more beautiful than I remember, how is that even possible?" he asked after a few moments of blissful silence.

"Oh, stop you," Pacifica chuckled as she playfully shoved him.

"No, I'm serious," Dipper said as he took her face in his hands again.

"I'm not even wearing make-up," Pacifica protested. "And I don't think I brushed my hair today."

"I don't care," Dipper insisisted. "You're stunning."

"Maybe you're just starved of me from being away for so long," Pacifica pointed out.

"Well, I'm definately that," Dipper agreed. "But it doesn't change the fact that you're the most gorgeous thing on the planet."

"Even with a big bump?" Pacifica gestured to her belly.

"You kidding?" Dipper asked. "If anything that makes you more attractive."

"Oh, really?" Pacifica arched an eye-brow. "Why, because it's proof y-"

"I don't need proof," Dipper insisted as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I know that you're all mine. That's all that matters." He leaned down and nibbled on the sensitive part of her neck again. Pacifica gasped, then let out a small sigh as he did again and let her eyes flutter close.

"All mine," he whispered in her ear before kissing her just below it.

Pacifica smiled, scraping her nails against the back of his neck, when-

Dipper jumped back, startled. Pacifica's hands flew to her stomach. She felt it again. It felt like a bubble popping against the inside of her stomach. She ran a hand over the spot an felt a small movement against her palm.

"Was...was that what I think it is?" Dipper asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"It's moving!" Pacifica gasped with a nod. Dipper knelt down infront of her belly and laced his hands against it.

"Do it again!" he whispered to the baby. Within a few seconds Pacifica felt the same bubbly sensations again. She clasped a hand to her mouth and giggled. Dipper just stared, stunned.

"Oh, wow," he gasped as the baby kicked his hand again.

Pacifica ran her fingers through his hair as she watched him.

"You were just waiting for Daddy to get home, weren't you?" Pacifica asked the baby, which responded by moving again.

"Well, I'm back, Peanut," Dipper said, rubbing his hands over her belly. "And I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

The baby kicked again. Dipper kissed Pacifica's belly, then leaned his face against it.

"Hey, Pacifica, you here?" Mabel asked from down the hall. Pacifica gestured for her husband to be quiet before answering.

"Yeah, I'm still here. I'm...um...going to run a bath and take a nap. Feeling a bit tired and stiff."

"Okay, let me know if you need anything," Mabel answered.

"You really feeling stiff?" Dipper asked, concerned.

"Only a little, I'm sure you can help me with that though," Pacifica winked at him. Dipper grinned as he caught on to what she meant.

"So, am I welcomed to join in on this bath?" he asked.

"Welcomed? You're required," Pacifica retort before heading to the bathroom attached to her room. Dipper grinned even wider as he followed after her. It was good to be back!


	22. Day 150

**Day 150:**

Dipper lay in bed, gazing at his sleeping wife. She looked so peaceful, so serene, SO beautiful. He wished they coud just stay here, lying in a makeshift full sized bed that was really two twin beds mushed next to eachother in the spare room of Mabel's. He wanted to stay there, with her sleeping in his arms, one of his hands tangled in her hair, one feeling their baby move inside of her. He snuggled closer to her, kissed the top of her head, and tucked it under his chin. The baby kicked him again as he rubbed circles on her belly.

Pacifica stirred and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"Good morning," she sighed.

"Good morning, Princess," he answered as he took his chin off the top of her head, tilted her face towards him and kissed her lips. "How are you?"

"I'm doing pretty good. You?"

"Pretty good."

Normally a blissful silence would have fallen over them as they simply cuddled for a few minutes before getting, but not today, rather Pacifica imediately started a conversation.

"So, our doctor's appointment is Monday..."

"Mm-hmm," Dipper nodded as he set his chin ontop of her head again.

"And the Halloween party is Wednesday…"

"Mm-hmm?"

"What if we did some sort of gender reveal thing then?"

"Like what?" Dipper asked.

"I don't know...maybe a jack-o-lantern light up thing? Blue light means boy, pink light means girl?"

"But who would we get to set it up? Mabel can't keep a secret for nothing! Wendy's too careless. And you have Stan wrapped around your finger as bad as Mabel does now so you'd covince him to tell you."

"Are you suggesting that I would-"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Well, you're probably right. So, what about Ford? He could keep it under wraps for two days, and he has the know-how to set up the kind of lights we'd need."

"Huh," Dipper thought for a moment. "Yeah, I geuss we could let him set it up. We'll talk to him after-" Dipper cut himself off. They weren't going to worry about that now. They were enjoying this moment. "Y'know what? We should probably come up with names."

"Well, we're not using any names from my family," Pacifica insisted. "I'm trying to get rid of that legacy."

Dipper nodded then scratched at the back of his head. "I, um, have some ideas."

Pacifica leaned her head on his chest, looking up at him attentively as she waited for him to explain.

"Well, when the baby was concieved we were exploring the ruins of the Persian empire looking for werewolves."

"Yeah?" Pacifica arched an eyebrow, not sure where this was going.

"So, maybe, if you like it, Persia for a girl," Dipper explained. "And for a boy, Kurt, which means 'wolf' in turkish."

"Hm..." Pacifica hummed as she thought. "What about middle names?"  
"Well, I have always liked the name Tyrone."

"Kurt Tyrone Pines. Sounds very intellectual like his father and great Grunkle Ford," Pacifica grinned.

Dipper shurgged. "I suppose it does."

"So what about a middle name for a girl?" Pacifica asked.

"You tell me."

Pacifica thought for a few moments. "Avril."

"Any reason why?" Dipper asked.

"It means 'April' in French. And that's when spring starts. And spring means new beginnings which is exactly what this baby is for us."

Dipper nodded, a smile on his face. "Persia Avril Pines. I like it."

Pacifica smiled and put a hand on her belly. "Alright, little one. Wednesday we'll find out if we're going to name you Kurt or Persia."

They laid side by side a while longer. The baby kicked against both of their hands as they snuggled. Finally Dipper sighed and sat up.

"Alright, we've got to get up at some point."

Pacifica nodded and reached out her hands so Dipper could help her up. They got dressed, Dipper helped her brush her hair and they headed to the main room. Ford was already there waiting. The two help their breath. In the midst of all of the chaos of Dipper returning, filling of the paperwork for an early graduation, the arrests, preparing for the baby, getting the Gravity Falls Program up and running, and finding a house for the young couple, Ford had taken it upon himself to track down a lawyer and prepare for the trial.

"Hello, you two," Ford called as he patted the couch next to him. "Have a seat."

The young couple shuffled to his side and sat down.

"So, I have looked at our options," Ford began. "This trial could take months, even years. I don't want you going through that. You are at a critical, precious time in your lives. You should be focused on getting ready for your baby, not testifying at a trial."

"So, what do you suggest?" Dipper asks.

Ford pulled a manilla folder out of his trench coat. "I have talked to an attorney, and we have come up with a potential plea deal-"

"No," Dipper shook his head. "I don't want to go easy on them. I don't want them to get it in their head that they can scare us into going easy on them. They need to-"

"Well, hold on Dipper. Let me tell you what the stipulations are," he opened the folder and pulled the files out. "For Mr. Shaw and Mr. Shirar, their sentences will be dropped for 10 years in jail to 5 years in jail. The protection order, however, will still be intact for the full 10 years. The attorney I talked with said that since they were only going after you two for a paycheck, now that there is no longer anything in this stalking arrangement for them, they'll most likely leave the two of you alone once they get out."

Dipper nodded slowly. He didn't like that those two would only get five years if this went through, but that wasn't a dealbreaker...yet.

Pacifica wrung her hands as she asked. "What about my father?"

Ford sighed. "Should he take the plea deal, no extra time would be added to his current 25 years and he'd still be able to ask for parole-"

"No way! We're not-"

"But," Ford cut his nephew off. "He would be banned from Roadkill County for life upon his release."

Pacifica gasped as she turned to Ford. "What?"

"He'd be banned from Roadkill County," Ford repeated. "He would never be able to come back to Gravity Falls."

Pacifica let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She'd be free! She could buy herself a house with her husband without fear of him knocking on her door in 23 years. She could raise her baby without fear of him coming around and doing what he had done to her to her child. She'd be free! She sighed and nodded.

"Yes, let's do that."

"Pacifica, are you sure?" Dipper asked.

She nodded. "I'm ready to be free and done with this."

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Preston glowered at the papers in front of him.

"...Preston, please," his lawyer begged. "They have the phone, they have the messages. The other two defendants have already said that should this go to trail they'll testify against you for shorter sentences."

Preston crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, fuming.

"Preston, you won't win this. If you go to trail you'll get ten years added to your sentence and you'll lose your chance at parole! You do this nothing will change-"

"I'm about to be banned from my home!" Preston thundered.

"That's going to happen either way at this point!" the attorney shouted. "I'm telling you, this is a fight you can't win. Take the bargain and minimize the damage. Please!"

Preston sighed, took the pin from his lawyer, and signed the paper.

"Good," the attorney sighed as he gathered the papers and shuffled out of the metting room.

Preston stared at his hands. No more Gravity Falls. No more Road Kill County at all. His home he'd left behind, his antique car collection, his country clubs. All gone! He slammed his fists on the table he was currnetly handcuffed to. The cops came in, unlocked the cuffs attached to the table, only to cuff his arms behind his back and began leading him off.

"At least one good thing came out of all this," the cop muttered.

"What's that?" Preston asked.

"That little girl of yours can live in her hometown in peace from now on. Free from you."


	23. Day 154

**Day 154:**

"Do we really have to show up this early?" Pacifica asked as Dipper helped her zip up the back of her halloween costume.

"Mabel insisted we all be there at the same time. Said the illussion of the group costume only works if we are all there at the same time."

Pacifica sighed. "I suppose she's right. Still don't see why I had to be the blue-berry girl. We all know I'm fat, no need to draw more attention to it!"

"You're not fat, Love," Dipper chuckled as he finished zipping up the back of her outfit and kissed her cheek. "You're about to be a mother."

Pacifica grinned as she adjusted the belt of her costume.

Mabel and Dipper had always had joint halloween costumes growing up. Now, as adults, Mabel insisted on their patchwork family to always do a group costume. This year she had decided they would do Willy Wonka and the Chocolat Factory.

Ford was Slugworth. Stan was Grandpa Joe. Wendy was a genderbent Willy Wonka (a Wendy Wonka, if you will). Logan was Charlie. Soos was Augustus. Mabel was Veruca. Dipper was Mike. Melody, Candy, Grenda, and Marius were Ommpa-Loompas. Waddles was a golden ticket. And Pacifica was Violet. Yes, the girl who got turned into a blueberry, complete with a blue face paint she absolutely refused to put on, and instead exchanged with a blue wig.

"Ready?" Dipper asked as he placed his rather large cowboy hat on his head. Pacifica giggled at the sight, but nodded.

"Ready."

They both walked out into the living area of Mabel's where she and the two Grunkles were already waiting in costume.

"About time!" Mabel rolled her eyes as she stood to her feet. "Let's go!"

It was a short drive to the Mystery Shack, where yearly halloween parties had become the norm for the small town. The shop had been turned into a haunted house. The museum was filled with food, games, and a dance floor. The outside had pumpkin carving stations, more food, and more games. There weren't that many people there when they pulled up. Infact Soos and Meoldy were still hanging up decorations when they arrived.

"Oh, hey dudes!" Soos called from the top of his ladder.

"Soos! What did I tell you about ladders! They kill more people than guns!" Stan shouted. "Why you think I got so man-"

"Erm, I think he can handle his own Mr. Pines," Melody blushed. "Besides I'm here to catch him if her falls."

"You, catch HIM!?" Stan pointed and chuckled.

"You'd be surprised, dude," Soos answered solemnly. "She is unbeaten at arm wrestling."

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, sounds like a challenge," Stan chuckled.

"How do I get the feeling this will end badly?" Ford sighed.

A few minutes, and several rounds of arm wrestling (all of which Stan lost) and people started piling into the Mystery Shack. Despite all the conversations, socializations, dancing, and fun going on around them, Dipper and Pacifica were nervous. Their stomachs were in knots, their hearts were beating wildly. Tonight was the night.

Tonight they would find out if they were having a boy or a girl. First they had to waiting until enough people had carved enough pumpkins to line the porch of the Mystery Shack. And then they had to wait for Ford to install the lights.

Try as everyone did, Ford would not give in. He was adamant in keeping Baby Pines' gender a secret until the big reveal.

"Pacifica!" Mabel shrieked at one point as they were waiting, a giant can of Pitt Soda in her hand. "I want a rematch!"

"Rematch?"

"Remember when we had a karaoke battle when we were twelve?"

"Oh...right," Pacifica blushed as she remembered at the cruel remarks she had made that night.

"I want a rematch!"

"Mabel, I have a baby kicking my lungs, how do you expect me to sing?"

"With the power of determination!"

"Sorry. Saving that for the actual birth."

"You're not using an epidural?"

"I don't know yet! And even then that only numbs it. I've still gotta do all the pushing."

"Well, consider this a practice round in determination!"

"Did you really just compare childbirth to karaoke?"

"What? They're both beautiufl in their own ugly, terrifying, and mysterious ways!"

An awkward pause followed before Pacifica asked her sister-in-law: "What is in that drink other than caffeine?"

"Oh!" Mabel flipped the can over to the back. "Carbonated water. Sugar. Fruit juice concentrate. Vegetable extract. Citric Aci-Oh! That's it. It's the acid."

Pacifica only stared and blinked. "You're going to be the aunt of my child."

"Yup, and there ain't nothing you can do about it!"

"What did I marry into?"

"Crazy, unbridled awesomeness!"

"Crazy, definately. Unbridled, without a doubt. Awesomeness? Jury is still out on that one."

"Ew. Pregnancy mood swings much?"

"Shut up, Mabel."

"Mabel, stop pestering my wife!" Dipper finally cut in.

"Aw, c'mon, bro-bro. I was just trying to recruit her to a karaoke rendevouz!"

"That's not how you use the word 'rendevouz,'" Dipper sighed.

"And, again, baby crushing lungs, can't sing!" Pacifica said.

"Yikes, you are carrying pretty high," Mabel nodded.

"You just now noticed?" Pacifica arched an eyebrow.

"Guess that means you two are having a girl," Mabel cheered. "By the way, what are you guys hoping for?"

"A healthy baby," Dipper answered in a dead pan voice.

"C'mon! You've gotta have a preference!"

"Nope."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"You're boring!"

"You've informed me of this fact many times," Dipper flipped his sister's hair into her face.

"Pew! Pew!" Mabel spat as she fixed her hair back. "Well, what about you Pacifica?"

"Well," Pacifica twirled her hair, or rather the hair of her wig. "I mean, I guess I like the idea of a little girl I can dress up, and have mani-pedi parties with, and play dolls with. But at the same time, a little boy, a little Dipper running around would be fantastic."

"Aw! Dipper's boringness is rubbing off on you!"

"Well, he is my husband, it's to be expected."

"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take that, Princess."

"Alright, dudes!" Soos' voice called from the DJ stand. "It's time to head outside for the big gender reveal!"

Dipper and Pacifica's hearts started doing somersaults as they followed the rest of the crowd outside. There were several rows of carved pumpkins, one lining the main porch, one lining the side porch, one lining the ground around the porch, even one above the main entrance to the musuem. In the attic window was a purple neon sign that read: "What will it be?" On the left side of the door was a blue neon sign that read "Kurt Tyrone," and on the right side was a pink sign that read "Persia Avril."

"Wow, really out did yourself, bro," Stan said with a smile as he slapped his brother on the back.

"Oof! Thank you, Stanley," Ford returned as he head towards Dipper and Pacifica who were waiting near the front steps of the main porch. "Alright you two, here's the button. When you're ready press it and you'll get a brief light show before the big reveal."

"Wait!" Wendy shouted as she ran up, Logan on her hip, and her phone in hand. "Gotta get a video...okay, ready!"

Dipper held the button in his palm, and turned to Pacifica. "You ready?" he asked.

Pacifica nodded, grinning ear to ear. "Yeah!"

"Alright, let's do this," Dipper took her hand in his and together they pushed the button.

The jack-o-lanterns lit up in alternating shades of : pink, blue, pink, blue. The colors then began to alternate and dance in a flickering show, growing faster and faster until it was almost a strobe-like effect. Then everything went black for a few seconds before the lights slowly turned back on…

...They were pink!

The right side of the door shown bright with the name: Persia Avril.

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

"It's a girl! I knew it!" Mabel fist-bumped.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Stan screamed and jumped as he ran to the young couple to hug them. Dipper and Pacifica couldn't stop smiling. They were having a girl! The minutes Stan let go of them they caught eachother into a tight hug, and a prolonged kiss that probably wasn't appropriate given how many people were watching them, but they didn't care. They were having a little baby girl!

Nothing could have made them smile wider, not even the fact that their group won the costume contest. They couldn't even wipe off their smiles hours later when they were lying in bed, smiling at each other as they tried, in vain, to fall asleep.

"Our little Persia Avril Pines," Dipper whispered as he kissed Pacifica's belly. "We already love you."


	24. Day 160

**Day 160:**

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Pacifica's, it's for you!" Mabel called.

Pacifica frowned in both confusion and annoynace. She'd just gotten into a bubble bath. It was about the only thing that could give her relief from her back aches at this point.

"Can whoever it is comeback?"

"Um, well it's a lawyer and a cop so…"

"Dipper!" she called. She was starting to get into that annyoing phase of pregnancy where she could not get up or out of anything without help. Within a few minutes Dipper popped into the bathroom, and bathrobe and towel in hand. He helped her out, set the bathrobe over her shoulders and then helped her put her hair up in the towel. She shuffled down the hall to the front door where she saw a man in a well tailored suit and a woman in a cop uniform.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Are you Ms. Pacifica Northwest?" the man in the suit, the lawyer she assumed, asked.

"It's Pines now, but yes," Pacifica answered.

"Ah, excellent, I-"

Dipper appeared behind his wife. "And am I to assume that you are the lucky Mr. Pines?"

"Yes…?"

"Well, have an...issue I need to discuss with you," the lawyer said as he took off his hat. "May I come inside?"

Pacifica turned to look at Mabel, who simply shrugged. She stepped back to let the two in. They seated themselves on the couch.

"Can I get you something to drink? Some juice maybe?" Mabel asked.

"Oh, yes, please, thank you," the lawyer nodded.

"So, what is this issue?" Pacifica asked awkwardly. She wished she had something on other than a bathrobe.

"Well, as I'm sure you are aware both of your parents are currently...incarcerated…"

"Yes, I am," Pacifica answered, her stomach growing uneasy. She placed a hand over her baby bump. Could she not just get rid of those two!?"

"As I am sure you are also aware, going to jail does not exempt you from paying your bills."

"Yes…?"

"Well, it would seem that, your parents have had a bit of a hard time keeping up…"

"Hard time my butt," the cop sniffed. "They just haven't been paying is all there is to it."

"Which has lead to a dilemna," the lawyer cut it. "It would seem that the bank is about to seize their house if they do not pay soon. Which means that all the property inside the house needs to be removed or it will either be auctioned off by the bank or thrown out."

"And this is my problem why?" Pacifica asked.

"Well, you are their only family member in the area. You're the only one who can help."

"I don't want to help them. In case you forgot, the reason they are in jail is because they abused me?"

"Then don't help them," the cop sniffed. "Wait a little while and then, after the house has been seized the property inside it will be considered abandoned. Abandoned property can be claimed by the heir of the original owner, and since you're the only child they ever had…"

"Yes b-b-b-b-b-b-but!" the lawyer stammered. "Her parents are still alive, therefore she has no grounds for claiming-"

"The bank will be throwing out all of the property so they can clean up and resell the house. Anything left out by the road is ripe for the taking."

"There no actual law-"

"Eh," the cop shrugged before smiling at Pacifica. "Given everything they've put you through I'm sure we can turn a blind eye for a few hours."

"That's not-"

"Of course it's up to you," the cop shrugged as she walked out.

"Ma'am! Ma'am! You can't-" the lawyer followed after her, leaving Pacifica to think over what she'd just learned.

"Okay, I've got orange, mango fresh, lemona-oh, I guess they're gone," Mabel said as she came out of the kitchen.

"I'll take a lemonade, if you don't mind," Dipper said.

"Okay!" Mabel sprinted off.

"What do you think?" Dipper asked Pacifica as his sister left the living room.

Pacifica stared at her hands. "I don't know. I mean I guess it would be dumb not to take it, it is a lot of expensive stuff. But, at the same time, I don't want anything that was their's."

"Hm," Dipper nodded. "What if we just sold it?"

"Sold it?" Pacifica asked.

"I mean we've still gotta get a house, and a car, and stuff for Persia. All of that costs money."

"Money we'll have coming soon. We're both starting new jobs-"

"Yeah, but you aren't starting yours until two months after Persia gets here and my first group of students won't be coming in until January."

"See, money coming!"

"Princess, Peanut's due in March."

"So we'll have three months to get ready!"

Dipper sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sweetheart…"

"I know, I know."

A short silence fell over them.

"So…" Dipper finally spoke up. "What are we doing?"

"I guess take it and sell it. But do we really need that much money?"

"Eh, we'll donate the leftovers to a domestic abuse shelter."

Pacifica's eye lit up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, seems ironically appropriate, doesn't it?"

Pacifica leaned forward and kissed Dipper.

"What was that for?" Dipper asked.

"Just being you," Pacifica grinned.

"Well, then, let me return the favor," Dipper kissed her back. "Now let's get you back in that bath before it gets too cold, then we'll go get the stuff."

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"Holy smokes!" Dipper said as he checked his phone a few minutes after he and Pacifica got back from dropping off her parent's stuff at the auctioneer's house.

"What?" Pacifica asked.

"Three of the paintings have already sold!"

"And?" Pacifica asked again, eager.

Dipper let the phone fall into his lap. "We can get our house. Just like that. How many riches were your parents hogging?"

"Too much, but, that's besides the point," Pacifica jumped into Dipper's lap and peppered his face in kisses. "Let's go get our house!"

"Now?" Dipper asked.

"Well, yeah, why not?"

"I don't know...I mean...usually you do some research online and look at neighborhoods and such before-"

"Oh, Psh! That's the boring way, let's just go!" Pacifica grabbed his hand and dragged him back to the van.

"Why did my sister have to wear off on you?" he asked in a slightly dismayed voice.

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"Huh. Who knew the realestate market was so slim in Gravity Falls," Dipper said as he and Pacifica got back in the van after deciding no to yet another house. They's visited four so far. The first one was invested with gnomes. The second was missing three steps on the way to the second story. The third was haunted. And this last one had a hole in the roof which made it ideal for a pterodactyl nursing ground.

Pacifica heaved a sigh as she buckled herself in. "Maybe there aren't any good available homes here."

"I'm sure there's one somewhere. We just haven't found it yet," Dipper said as he checked his phone. "We have three more places to look at today if you're still feeling up to it."

To be honest, she was tired. Her feet were swollen. Her back was achy. Persia was kicking the life out of her ribs. But she knew the sooner they got a house the better things would be for them. She rubbed her stomach where Persia was stirring and nodded.

"Yeah, let's keep going."

They had to find their baby girl a home to bring her to.

She watched the scenery passing by her window as they drove. Old Man McGuckett was chasing his racoon through the streets. Lazy Susan swept the outside of her diner. Gideon Gleeful was filming a comercial for his used car lot. Pacifica sighed, she assumed they'd have to be visiting him soon to get a car of their own. That would not be fun. He might not be a psychotic, supernatural, false psychic anymore but he was still a scam artist. Getting a quality car for a good price from him was going to be a headache.

"Maybe we should just let Stan buy a car for us. Gideon is still scared of him, right?"

"Trust me, that will only make things worse," Dipper sighed as he parked outside the next house. Pacifica peaked out of the window. It was a two story brick house with a garage. Dipper opened her door and escorted her out. There was a front porch, with two flower beds built in front of it, and a cobblestone pathway leading from the garage to the porch.

"Hm," Pacifica pondered so far so good. A real estate agent was already waiting for them. (Dipper had made a few quick calls before Pacifica dragged him all the way to the first house. The one invested with gnomes.

She and Dipper stepped inside. The bottom story had an open floor plan, with the living room, dining room, and breakfast nook were all connected. There was also a utility room, half bathroom, and office downstairs.

 _Perfect for Dipper!_ Pacifica thought to herself when she saw it. It had a window open to the front yard. Dipper could work on stuff for his teaching and keep an eye on Persia playing outside when she got older.

Upstairs was a sitting area. To one side was the master suite, complete with a bathroom and walk-in closet. (Just an excuse for Pacifica to buy herself more clothes. To the otherside were two bedrooms joined by a jack-and-jill style bathroom.

"Hm…" Dipper thought as he began checking every nook, ranny, and corner. "No gnomes. No dinosaurs. Not even any signs of being haunted."

"Anyway to prevent it from ever being haunted?" Pacifica asked.

Dipper shrugged. "I can put a few charms on it to make it harder for ghosts to get in here but nothing foll proof. Still, this seems like a good choice. What do you think, Princess?"

Pacifica thought for a moment. "Can we see the back yard?"

"Of course!" the real estate agent smiled as she led them out back. It was fenced in, no chance of Persia wandering off and getting lost somewhere. There was even a covered patio.

Dipper and Pacifica wandered back upstairs.

"We could put her nursery in this one," Dipper pointed to the indicated room. "That way it would only be a short walk across the hall to get to her.

"She'll be staying in our room for ther first few months, though," Pacifica reminded him. She insisted on keeping her baby close while she was still a baby. She did not want a repeat of what her parents had done to her.

"Of course," Dipper said. "But she'll have to start sleeping in her own room eventually. And she'll be napping there too."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well," Dipper grinned flirtaciously as he drew Pacifica close to him. "When else are Mommy an Daddy supposed to get time to themselves?"

"Oh, stop it," Pacifica giggled as she playfully pushed herself away from him.

"So…" Dipper arched an eyebrow. "You like this one?"

Pacifica nodded. "Yeah, I think we can make this one work."


	25. Day 167

**Day 167:**

"Helloooooo Mabelinos! Today we are going on a real adventure. We are going to...Dun. Dun. DUUUUUUN!...Ikea!"

"Mabel, what are you doing?" Dipper asked as he leaned into the frame of the camera his sister was holding.

"I'm live streaming for all the Mabelinos out there," she answered matter-of-factly.

"Of us furniture shopping?"

"Why not!? You haven't let me live stream anything else this pregnancy…"

"With good reason," Dipper countered.

"Oh!" Mabel turned back to the camera. "By the way, Mabelinos, I'm not pregnant. She turned the camera around to reveal Pacifica riding shotgun nest to Ford. "Pazzy is! Look at that bump. That's my neice, Persia!"

"Okay, Mabel, stop," Dipper reached for the camera.

"No! We're going on an Ikea adventure and I want my fans to enjoy it!"

"Mabel, stop!"

Pacifica could only chuckle at her husband and sister-in-law bickering like they were twelve again. If only it wasn't in a very tight moving truck they'd rented. At least she got to sit upfront with Ford. The twins and Stan on the other hand were confined to the backseat.

"Will you two pipe down!" Stan grumbled. "It's bad enough I'm stuck in the cheap seats, if you can even call these seats, but now I gotta watch you two go at each other like cats and dogs!"

"He's trying to monopolize our Ikea adventure!"

"It's my house we're shopping for!"

"Which includes Persia's room!"

"And Persia is mine and Pacifica's baby."

"Who you kidding, bro-bro? She's everyone's baby!"

"Well," Stan shrugged. "She's not wrong…"

"Last I checked you two were not there when Pacifica and I were laying-"

"AUGH! Don't finish that though!" Mabel clapped her hands over her ears, dropping her camera.

"And, got it!" Dipper snatched the camera out of her lap and held it at arm's legnth.

"No! My Mabelinos!"

"Almost there. Almost there. Almost there," Ford began muttering to himself.

Pacifica could only chuckle once more at the sight.

This.

This is what a family was supposed to look like. This is what Persia would experience.

At some point Mabel got her camera back and they arrived at Ikea.

It only took two minutes for Stan and Mabel to start riding down the aisles on the giant shopping carts.

"Bonzai!"

"Bonzai!"

"Cowabunga!"

"Cowabunga!"

"YOLO!"

"That must be a new-fangled term, but I wont question it. YOLO!"

"Will you two stop!" Ford chased after them. "You'll get us kicked out before we've even started."

Dipper leaned into Pacifica's ear. "If anyone asks, we don't know them."

Pacifica giggled, but nodded as they began actually shopping for the living room first. Dipper had a copy of the floor plan of their house so they could plan out where everything would go as they shopped.

"Ooooh!" Something caught Pacifica's eye and she headed towards it.

"A yellow sofa?" Dipper asked.

"Why not?" Pacifica asked. "It's different."

"It is that…"

"Imagine if we paint the walls navy. Yellow and navy goes together."

"It does?"

"Are you questioning my taste?"

"Perhaps…"

"Says the guy who where jeans, white t-shirts, flannels, and a baseball cap everyday."

Dipper shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Ooh, it comes in a six seater."

"What's that mean?" Dipper asked.

Pacifica rolled her eyes. "It means it looks like this."

"Why would we need a couch that big?" Dipper asked and the U shaped 8 by 10 foot couch.

"You mean to tell me you don't think our family and friends are going to come crashing at our place all the time once we move in?" Pacifica questioned.

Dipper thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess it would be weird for them to bunk in ours or Persia's room. There is that other bedroom, though…"

"True, but…" Pacifica twirled her hair. "Maybe in a few years there will be someone using that room…"

Dipper let out a nervous chuckled. "Not that I'm opposed to having more children, but let's get this one safely delivered, walking, and potty trained before we start down that road, okay?"

"Well, of course," Pacifica rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Dipper!" Mabel all but tackled him. "You guys getting this couch?"

"Thinking abo-"

"Well, VIMLE, that's super yellow!"

"What?" Dipper arched an eyebrow.

Mabel held up the tag on the couch to reveal it was named "vimle."

"Oh my gosh…" Dipper shook his head.

"Got 'im!" Mabel fist bumped before racing off.

Dipper gave in and they bought the couch. Though they'd agreed to go through room by room, they both, simultaneously, decide they couldn't wait anymore before shopping for the nursery. They immediately gravitated towards a white, wooden crib with two draws underneath it. They had decided to look at other options, and did so for a while, until they turned around and found Stan climbing into the crib they'd just looked at while Mabel filmed on.

"What are you doing!?" Dipper asked.

"Making sure it's safe," Stan answered matter-of-factly.

"By climbing in it?"

"Hey, if it will hold my overweight, hamburger and potato chip stuffed body, it will hold a newborn baby."

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Oh my gosh."

"C'mon bro, you don't want this crib to FOL on JA!"

Sure enough, the crib was named Folja.

"Welp. It's safe. Now someone help me out!" Stan called.

"Stanley, what are you doing? You are a grown man!" Ford scolded.

Dipper helped his Grunkle out of the crib, he and Pacifica bought it, and then moved onto picking out a changing table, wardrobe, high chair, book displays, wall hangers, and baby lamps.

They then moved onto shopping for their own bedroom, looking at beds first. They settled on a wooden bed that had two large drawers on either side for them to keep stuff in.

"You're going to use this bed to make Pacifica a MALM all over again, aren't yah Dipper?"

"MABEL!"

"And that was 'MABEL!' number 5…" Pacifica noted on her phone. She was sure she'd get to the double digits before the day was up. She wasn't wrong. It was sunset before they had picked out everything they would need to start out with and began bringing the numerous trolleys of stuff they'd bought to the truck they'd rented. Rather than helping push, however, Mabel opted to ride at the top of the pile of furniture with a giant stuffed lion she insisted on buying for Persia, even though the toy was half the size of a grown adult.

"NAAAAAANTS! IGOYAMAAAA! WE ARE LEAVING IKEAAAAAAA!"

"Mabel, you are not Rafiki and this is not Lion King, get down," Dipper sighed.

"NAAAAAANTS! IGOYAMAAAA! WE HAVE A DIPSTICK IN THE MUUUUUDDDD!"

"Really? You're going for-"

Suddenly the carts stopped rolling. "Wait, what's happening? Grunkle Stan are you okay up-"

"NAAAAANNNTSS-"

"Stanley, you are a grown man, stop enocuraging this behavior!"

"-STANFORD'S AND ANGRY MAN!"

"STANLEY!"

"And that's number 10 for 'STANLEY's'," Pacifica muttered as she took note.

They drove home with mostly no incidences, and arrived at the newly purchase Pines home. While everyone else worked on moving the heavy furniture into the house, PAcifica worked on painting Persia's room. She'd done some research and had made sure to buy paint that wouldn't harm her baby before or after she was born. It was a pale mint green color. Pacifica placed one hand on her back where she had some aching, and painted with the other one.

"Um...Pazzy?" Mabel poked her head in about an hour later. "You guys didn't buy a puppy while we were at Ikea, did you?"

"No…" Pacifica followed her sister-in-law out to the moving truck and, sure enough, there was a small black and white speckled puppy in the back of the truck.

"He must have snuck in while we were shopping," Dipper said from where he was on his hands and knees and tried to coax the puppy out. He whistled softly. "C'mere."

The puppy only whined and backed away from him. Pacifica slowly lowered herself to her knees and clapped her hands. "C'mere, little guy."

Mabel came back with a bit of sandwhich ham in her hands. "C'mere!"

The puppy slowly made its way to her and nibbled on the meat. Mabel cautiously scooped the puppy up. "Ooooh! So cute! I'm gonna call you Pepper!"

"You're keeping it?" Dipper questioned.

"What? You and Pacifica are getting a baby, I get a puppy!"

Dipper shrugged. "Fair enough."

By the end of the night, all the furniture had been placed in the house, though not necessarily in it's proper place. Dipper and Pacifica's bedroom was atleast set up, and one wall of Persia's nursery had it's first coat. Dipper collapsed onto their new bed the minute everyone had left.

"I would say we should break this in, but I'm too tired to even try," he grumbled from where he laid.

Pacifica chuckled as she lowered herself onto the bed, slowly laid on her side and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Long day, huh?" Pacifica asked.

"Uh-huh," Dipper answered.

"Don't worry, we'll have time to 'break the bed in' later. You rest."

"Uh-huh?"

Pacifica turned off the lights and tucked her husband in. They didn't even bother changing them into their pajamas.


	26. Day 180

**Day 180:**

"Alright guys, here's the plan!" Mabel said as she desenceded down the stairs to Wendy's portion of the house, Pepper in her hands, Waddles at her heels. The whole gang was already gathered in Wendy's living room as Mabel had called a meeting. "Dipper and Pacifica have recently annoucned that they are combing their housewarming party and baby shower into one event. And, yeah, I know they said we don't have to bring anything big for them but we can do btter than that! So here's the deal! We are going to give them joint gifts."

"Joint gifts?" Grenda asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm glad you asked…"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Is everything ready?" Pacifica asked as she waddled down the stairs, a hand on her belly. Persia was dancing tonight. Their little girl obviously knew something exciting was going on and was kicking the life out of her mother.

"I think so…" Dipper answered as he lit the last of the candles on their new coffee table. "Now, all we have to do is wait." He walked to the stairs to meet her, wrapping his arms around her quickly dissapearing waist and gently picked her up, giving her a quick peck before setting her back down.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Okay," Pacifica answered. It was a lie. She had a horrible headache pulsing at her temples, but she was determined to suck it up. They had been working hard to get their new home ready and she wanted to show it off.

It wasn't long before there was a knock at the door. Dipper opened it.

"Hey, Soos," he called as the former handyman in question, Abuelita and Melody walked inside. The door slammed behind them and Pacifica winced, but smiled and hugged them. Soos was carrying two tiered trays with him, each had rolls of diapers on them in the shape of a cake on them. Melody had a set of towels rolled up and tied to look like teddy bears. The "ribbons" around their necks were actually baby carrying wraps. Abuelita had picture frames that were currently framing...burp rags? Obviously Mabel had come up with a plan to do joint gifts. Some, like Soos and Melody, had good ideas on haw to do that. Abuelita...well, it was the thought that counted.

Ford and Stan came next. Ford brought a basic Tool kit with a baby grooming kit hidden inside it. Stan brough some decorative crates with bottles inside. Wine bottle for mom. Beer bottles for dad. Baby bottles with packets of dry formula already inside them.

"That's great," Pacifica smiled awkwardly. "But...um...I was kinda planning on breastfeeding…"

"But you might need a break every now and then," Stan pointed out. "Or you make Dipper get out of bed for a late night feeding every now and then. Either way you don't have to use them, I just though they'd be good to have on hand just in case."

"Oh, sure. Thank you!" Pacifica assured him through her throbbing headache.

Candy arrived next with a decorative vase that had a bouquet of flowers made out of baby socks. Marius, Grenda, and Thompson were soon after. Marius brough a welcome made with a set of baby mattress protectors. Thompson had a set of coasters, to which he'd taped a jar of baby food on top of each coaster. Grenda brought a laundry basket stuffed with baby jumpers, onsies, hats, nightgowns, socks, mittens, bibs, and burp rags.

Wendy and Logan came in next.

"I decided to go easy and practical," she announced upon her arrival. "So here," she handed them a certificate for a week's worth of home delivery meals from Lazy Susan's diner. "You can use them now, or once Persia gets here. As someone who has already been through the whole newborn thing, SAVE IT FOR THAT FIRST WEEK WITH BABY!"

Everyone laughed at Wendy's insistance. "Trust me, you will be so tired and frazzled you won't know whether to wind your butt, or scratch your watch."

McGuckett was second to last and he had the simplest yet most interesting gift of all.

Jars.

"Jars?" Pacifica looked at them. They were just normal old mason jars, though they were rather big. Maybe old pickle jars. And stuffed to the brim.

"Never know when you'll need a good jar!" the old hillbilly insisted. "But since Mabel insisted on doing joint gifts, so here ye go!" he handed each of them cards. Pacifica read hers.

" _Red = Mom's Survial Kit._

 _Fuzzy socks_

 _Silk Robe_

 _Hair Ties_

 _Toothbrush, toothpaste, mouth wash_

 _Ibuprofen_

 _Protien Bar_

 _Chocolate Kisses_

 _Gatorade_

 _Phone Charger_

 _Nail Polish_

 _Tinted Lip Balm_

 _Pen and Paper_

 _Kleenex_

 _Brush_

 _Hand Sanitizer_

 _Facial Wipes_

 _Trash Bags_

 _Water Flavor Drops_

" _Are You My Mom?"_

 _Blue = Dad's Survival Kit._

 _Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Mouth Wash_

 _Protein Bar_

 _Chocolate Kisses_

 _Gatorade_

 _Phone Charager_

 _Pen and Paper_

 _Kleenes_

 _Comb_

 _Hand Sanitzer_

 _Facial Wipes_

 _Puzzle Book_

 _Trash Bags_

 _Water Flavor Drops_

" _Hop on Pop""_

"Wow, thanks," Dipper said as he shook the older man's hand. "These will definately come in handy."

"Yes, thanks," Pacifica agreed with a smile.

"Yer welcome! Now where is that crazy sister of yours?"

"Hey-oh!" Mabel announced as she kicked the door open and raced in. "Ready to be blown away by an amazing gift!" she announced, causing Pacifica's head to all but do her in. Mabel eagerly shoved an envelope into Pacifica's hands. Pacifica opened it. There were three certificates inside for photo sessions: A maternity photoshoot, a birth photoshoot, and a family photoshoot.

"Oh, wow," Pacifica gasped. She had thought about getting maternity pictures, and hiring a photographer to be there for the birth, but in all the chaos that had happened she never stopped to talk to Dipper about it.

"Wait, what happened to joint gifts?" Stan asked.

"I couldn't risk having one of you guys outdoing me!"

"Ah, you little rapscallion!"

The rest of the party went well, or as well as Pacifica could tell through her throbbing head. It was a shame. She was really looking forward to this, and all of these gifts were amazing, but she couldn't really enjoy it through the pain. Within two hours everyone had left, it had been meant to be a small affair after all. The minute the last of them were gone, Dipper turned to her.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're acting weird."

"My head is killing me," Pacifica admitted.

"Where?"

Pacifica pointed. A ring around her skull at eye level and down her neck.

"Stress," Dipper muttered as he sat next to her on the couch. "I'm sorry, Princess, we probably should have waited a few more days before having this party."

"No, no, it's fine," Pacifica insisted.

"No it's not. You've been working hard to get the house ready. You're pregnant. And all the drama with your parents that happened before this, you haven't really had a chance to relax."

Pacifica shrugged. "Eh, that's life sometimes."

"Hm," Dipper murmured as he took her hands and helped her off the couch. "C'mon."

"Where are we going?" Pacifica asked.

"Bed."

"It's not even seven."

"I don't care. You need rest."

"You worry too much, babe."

"Probably," Dipper opened their bedroom door for her and then closed it behind them. He helped her out of her clothes and into a night gown. As she settled on the side of the bed, he knealt in the floor and helped her take off her shoes. Her ankles were pitifully swollen to the point they looked like sausages. He set one of her feet in his lap and massaged it. Pacifica's eyelids fluttered closed and she let out a relaxed sigh. She leaned back against on of her hands, and set her other hand on her belly. Persia stirred slightly, and her mouth curled into a smile. She wasn't sure how long she sat there letting Dipper rub her feet, but she didn't care. Once he finished Dipper stood up and kissed her forehead.

"Where else hurts?" he asked softly.

"Back and head," Pacifica answered.

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hm."

Dipper reached over and began positioning the pillows. "Lie down," he told her. She did so, on of the pillows supporting her belly to take pressure off her. Dipper lied down behind her. He massaged circles onto her lower back, slowly working his way up. He made sure to spend extra time on the knots in her neck before moving onto her head. He rubbed gently against her one temple that was not placed against the pillow, and began running his other hand through her hair.

Pacifica sighed, the small hint of a moan escaping her as she relaxed against him. She snuggled closer to him, as he kissed her forehead.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Mm-hm," Pacifica opened her eyes, straing deep into his loving frown eyes.

"Good," he kissed her neck, elicitting a soft moan from her. "Now sleep."

"What if I don't want to go to sleep yet?" she asked.

"Why not?"

"What if I want you to keep doing that for a little while longer."

Dipper chuckled a bit. "I think I can make that happen."

"Good," Pacifica closed her eyes again as he began massaging her lower back once more, occasionally kissing her neck, cheek, ear, or shoulder as he worked his way up. She was finding it very difficult to stay awake once her reached her neck, massaging his way up it to run his fingers through her hair.

"Princess, sleep," Dipper told her again.

Pacifica nodded slowly.

"I'll be right here when you wake up," he promised her.


	27. Day 194

**Day 194:**

Pacifica sat on the couch, looking at her bank statements. They had everything they needed now. They didn't need the rest of the money she'd gotten off her parents. They'd talked before about donating it to a domestic abuse shelter, but that felt kind of...cheap. She wanted to do something more.

She thought back to when she ran away from her parents. She had nothing put the clothes on her back and what she could fit into a backpack. No blankets. No books. No jewelry. No make-up. No hygenic items. No electronics. Just a couple of outfits, personal paperwork, and he I.D.'s.

Fortunately for her she had the Pines family to help her.

She'd had Dipper.

He had showered her in gifts of clothing, jewelry, nice things. He taught her how to live in the real world. He'd taken care of her; him and his family.

Others weren't so lucky. She knew they weren't.

There wasn't always a Pines family to be someone's safe place to fall when they ran. Many of them ended up trapped in shelters or on the streets. Some of them with their children. She placed a hand on her bulging belly. She couldn't imagine running away now while she was pregnant, especially if she had nowhere to go.

Her back started aching so she lied down, staring across the room. She knew what she wanted to do, but she wasn't sure how. She couldn't very well open a shop that said "hey, are you running from an abusive situation, come here and pick up anything you may have had to leave behind!" That would only draw the abusers to come there looking for their victims. Abusers would do anything to get their victims back under their thumbs, she knew that better than anyone.

If she had somewhere hidden that she could still be sure would be controll-

She quickly shot back up or, well, as quickly as she could with a belly so big she could no longer see her toes. She picked up her phone and dialed.

"Soos Ramirez," a voice answered.

"Hey, Soos, it's Pacifica."

"Hey dude! Sup?"

"I have kind of a weird question for you."

"Shoot."

"Is Ford's underground study and lab still underneath the Mystery Shack?"

"Well, no longer a lad or study. Everything's been cleared out and they've been sitting empty for years."

"But the rooms are still there?"

"Sure. Why you ask, dude?"

"Well, I have an idea…"

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"Alright, so the old lab will be the clothing room," Ford explained as he and Dipper went over the floor plan.

"And the old boiler room will be the hygiene product room," Dipper continued.

"And the study will be for everything else," Ford finished. "This could work!"

"So, what's the plan exactly?" Mabel asked as she sat on the old desk, as Pacifica carefull lowered herself into a dusty old chair, hoping it didn't lean back too far. If it did she would never get back out of it.

"They'd come to the Mystery Shack for 'fun,'" Pacifica explained, "And then, when no one is looking, Soos, or Melody, or Abuelita, or one of us if we're here, will take them down here and they can shop for anythign they need. We'll just put it in the same bags used in the gift shop, so no one knows they came here from a shelter."

"A secret safety shop, ME LIKEY!" Mabel cheered.

Dipper leaned down and kissed Pacifica briefly on the lips. "I'm proud of you, Princess. This is incredible."

"So, when are we going to fill this place up with stuff for domestic abuse victims?" Mabel asked.

"Hopefully by Christmas," Pacifica said as she struggled to stand up. Dipper helped her up as she grumbled in annoyance. This baby could not get here soon enough! "Only way we've got to figure out now is how to keep funding it since we'll be using most of what's left of my parents money to start it…"

"Eh, I'll donate some of my profits to it," Mabel shrugged.

"You will?" Pacifica gasped.

"I will too," Soos said.

"Wow, thanks guys," Pacifica smiled ear to ear.

"Sure, I mean, this is really important and will help people," Mabel said. "I'd be glad to help."

Pacifica just smiled. She wasn't sure what else to say.

"Now let's go shopping!" Mabel cheered as she raced back up the stairs.


	28. Day 200

**Day 200:**

Dipper finished setting the last of the textbooks in his classroom.

His classroom.

Starting next month he would officially be a college professor teaching three courses on Paranormal studies. Well, kind of. He was being paid to teach classes, but the University was also requiring him to take Masters Classes with them online. It was kind of a bummer, but he was getting them for free and once he was doen he would get a MAJOR pay raise which, if Persia turned out to be anyting like Pacifica, he would need the extra cash.

He moved to the back of the classroom to study every tiny detail. Were the desks in the right place? Did he leave enough room for himself at the front? Should he bring in some live samples...nah, leave that for after midterms.

He let out a satisfied sigh and headed out to go home. He needed to get back. He and Pacifica had been late this year in decorating the house for Christmas, so Pacifica had insisted on decorating it TODAY. He needed to go make sure she wasn't over doing it. She still had three months to go, but she was already large enough that she could not get out of the floor without help, and her back was bothering her.

He got into their newly purchased car (that they were able to get from Grideon fairly easily thanks to the intimidating Grunkles), and drove home. The minute he stepped inside he was nearly knocked over by the smell of cleaner.

"Pacifica?" he asked, worried. Too much cleaner could not be good for Persia.

"About time you got home!"  
That wasn't a good sign. Dipper shuffled towards the kitchen, where he saw Pacifica scrubbing the grout in between the tiles with a toothbrush.

"Erm, Pacifica, what are you doing?" Dipper asked, with the risk of getting his head bitten off.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Pacifica snapped.

"Erm…"

"We're about to have a baby! We can't bring our little girl into this filth!"

Filth? Dipper looked around. Yeah, maybe their house was a little dusty, but not filthy. Certainly not dirty enough to-

"Here!" Pacifica tossed a sponge to him. "You can start scrubbing the livingroom wall."

Livingroom wall? What was happening to his wife?

"After that we'll have to bleach the bathroom. Then scrub all the upstairs. Wash the windows. Dry clean all our clothes. Take the-"

"Oooohhh…" Dipper nodded slowly. Nesting. He'd been warned about this. He knealt down next to Pacifica and put his hand over hers. "Okay, Princess, let's take a quick break, shall we?"

"But we got-"

"Three months before Persia gets here. You can't be around cleaners for too long, so let's take a break."

Dipper helped Pacifica out of the floor and began leading her to the couch. He noticed her putting a hand to her lower back and grimacing as she stood up.

"If I don't clean it now, it will never get done. You can't stop me, Pines!"

"I'm not stopping you, I'm asking you to take a break," Dipper said. "And it will get done, I just don't want you to overwork yourself." Or drive me crazy with ridiculously nit picky cleaning. Dipper sat behind her on the couch, letting her lean into him as he began massaging her back. Pacifica sighed and slowly began relaxing.

"Better?" Dipper asked.

"Mm-hmm," Pacifica hummed.

"Good, now," Dipper drew her closer and set his chin on top of her head. "Tell me what's wrong."

"We need to get the house cleaned. Right now!"

"Why?"

"Because we're about to have a baby! You can't bring a baby into a dirty home! She'll get sick! Or hurt! Or..."

"Okay, okay, I get it."

Pacifica sighed, frowning deeply.

"You do realize that we still have two and a half months left, right?"

"Yeah…"

"And that no matter how many times you clean the house it will just get dirty again, so might as well wait until we get closer."

"I'll be too big to do anything by then!"

"Okay, when I say 'we' I mean 'me,'" Dipper explained.

"You'll be teaching then."

"I've got two free weeks around the due date."

"That's not enough time!"

"Sure it is. If not, we can hire a cleaner."

"Cleaners don't have that special touch needed."

"'Special touch?' Okay, what's this about? Really?"

"Getting the house clean, obviously."

"No, there's something else going on, what is it."

Pacifica sighed. "I just want everything to be perfect for our little girl, that's all."

"Well, so do I, but I'm not panicking because there's a bit of dust scattered here and there."

"I'm not panicking," Pacifica grumbled.

"Okay, over reacting."

"I'm not over reacting!"

"Yes you are."

"I'll make you sleep here on this couch, Pines!"

"Okay, okay," Dipper moved his hands up the her neck and began working out the knots there. "So what's got you so worried?"

"I'm not-"

"Pacifica…"

"I meant what I said about the couch."

"You want me to sleep on the couch, fine, just tell me what's going on."

"Nothing, I just…" Pacifica sighed. "I just don't want to screw this up is all."

"Screw what up?"

"Being a mom."

Dipper blinked, his hands stopped their massage as he processed what he'd just heard. "Oh. Okay...why do you think you'll screw up?"

"I don't know, I just...I don't know. My...nevermind…"

"No, no, tell me."

"It's dumb."

"No it's not."

"You don't even know what it is."

"If it's big enough to bother you than it's not dumb."

The corner of Pacifica's mouth curled up slightly, but she still looked worried.

"Well, my parents-and I know I keep going back to them. Trust me I am far more frustrated with talking about them than you are."

"I'm not frustrated," Dipper wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

Pacifica sighed. "Well, they didn't do a good job at...anything, actually. In this particular case, though, taking care to make sure there was nothing in our house that would hurt me. Heck, my mom couldn't even stop smoking and drinking. I just...I don't want to make that same mistake."

"And you won't," Dipper kissed her cheek. "We've already order a baby proofing kit, it's just a matter of waiting for it to get here-"

"It's more than that!" Pacifica covered her face in her hands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay," Dipper turned her around and gently pried her hands from her face, cupping a hand to her cheek and wiping her tears away. "What else is there?"

"Just because I know not to do what they did to me...ach, well...that doesn't mean that I know what to do! What if she gets here and I don't feed her right! Of I accidentally hurt her. Or maybe I won't give her enough attention, or maybe too much. Or...Do you even get what I'm saying? Does any of this make sense?"

"It does," Dipper nodded. "In fact, I 100% get what you're saying."

"Really?" Pacifica asked. "Are you...are you scared?"

Dipper chuckled. "Why do you think I put myself through two months of torture staying away from you. I didn't think I was doing a good enough job providing for you two. I still think about that. I mean, yeah I've got a job, but adjunct professors still don't get paid a lot. And I'm still technically in school. How am I supposed to be working, going to school, raise a daughter, and still be husbad all at the same time."

"Well you fought monsters, discovered the author of the journals, while updating said journals, defeated a triablge demon, and kept Mabel and Stan out of trouble all summer once when you were only twelve. So if anyone can do it, it's you."

"Yeah, one correction though. No one can keep Stan and Mabel out of trouble."

"Well, you kept them from doing serious bodily harm to themselves or someone else."

"Sure, we'll go with that."

Pacifica giggled as she rubbed the tears out of her eyes.

"There's my smiling angel," Dipper smiled as he cupped a hand under her chin. "But to answer your question, yes. I'm scared to be a father. But from what I understand that's normal when it comes to be first time parents."

"I just...I just want to give her the world," Pacifica whispered.

"So do I," Dipper agreed. "And we will, or at least as much of the world as we can manage."

Pacifica placed and hand over her stomach. Diper set his just under hers and felt Persia kick. He smiled then kissed her belly.

"We love you, Peanut. We're not perfect, but we do love you. We will give you everything we have. That's a promise."


	29. Day 236-238

**Day 236-238:**

Christmas was over. The trees and lights had all been put away. New years was gone. It was the middle of January, and Dipper was just about to reach the end of his first week of teaching.

"Alright, so remember, I will need your paranormal experiences by Monday-"

"Professor Pines what if we've never expereinced the paranormal first hand?" one students shouted out.

"Then write down the story you heard that got you interested in paranormal studies. Also, be prepared to go into the field next week."

A gasp arose from the crowd of students.

"Will it be dangerous?"

"Not this one. I'll start you off easy," Dipper assured the worry-wart of the bunch.

"But things will get dangerous?"

"Potentially," Dipper arched an eyebrow. "This is a paranormal studies class, things are going to get hairy every now and then."

The worry wart gasped again. Dipper kept his frustration in check as he looked through his notes again.

"Just some other reminders, not next week, but the friday after next will be your first test on the ten categories of ghost-"

"What will this test cover?"

"...the ten category of ghosts?"

"Yeah, but what's that mean?"

"Study the ten categories of ghosts."

"So, like, will you describe a ghost to us and we have to say what catgory it's in?"

"Maybe," Dipper began putting his notes away. "If you have anymore questions, you can email me. Give me at least 48 hours to answer before resending it, though."

A bit of a questionable chuckle rustled through the crowd. Dipper sighed as he explained:

"I try to answer all your emails as soon as possible. But I leave here I go home to my very pregnant wife and, sorry, she takes priority."

"Yeah, he don't wanna end up in the doghouse," one of the play boys of the class guffawed.

"Or I just love her?" Dipper suggested, an eyebrow arched. "Alright, enough prying into my personal life. Go forth! Have fun this weekend, but not too much. I would very much appreciate it if you all came back to me in one piece."

As all the students filed out, Dipper packed his bags and headed straight home. The minute he stepped inside Pacifica rushed him upstairs.

"Good, you're home. Now go put something nice on, the reporters willbe here soon!"

Dipper chuckled as he did so. Though the exact location of the domestic abuse survivor closet Pacifica had set up had not been revealed to the general public, and never would be, word had gotten out about what she had done with her parents money and, of course, several news stations wanted to do a story on it. Dipper put on a nice button up, brushed his hair, and was starting down the steps when he heard Pacifica open the door.

"Thanks for coming out," she greeted as several reporters, news camera operators, and journalists filed in. Dipper just watched from the top of the steps fro a little while and smiled. Of course he'd known for a while now his wife was amazing, but it was nice to see her getting some recognition from other sources too.

The interview process took much longer than either of them had expected. It was dark out by the time they'd all left. Pacifica was lying on the couch, eyes closed, barely awaked when Dipper shut the door behind them.

"Here's the transcript of what the print story will say," he said as he sat next to his wife, gently pulling her head into his lap, running his fingers through her hair.

"Hm," Pacifica said as she took it and read.

A short silence fell over the two as she scanned the paper.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Dipper finally asked.

Pacifica nodded slowly. "Yes."

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"Letter, Northwest."

Preston glowered as the guard passed him the envelope. Though he hadn't liked the last prison he'd been in, he liked this new one much less. He snatched the envelop from the guard, opened it, and read as the guard left him alone once again.

 _Suppose you had rich parents. Suppose those parents abused you. Suppose you got them thrown in jail and then gained control of their assets, what would you do? For Pacifica Pines the answer was clear, give back to help others escaping domestic abuse-_

"WHAT!?" Preston shrieked. His assets? Gone? Liquified into sweat shirts, toothbrushes, and underwear for a bunch of riff-raff too scared to slve their own problems for themselves?

"WHAT!?"

 _Interviewer: Why give it away? Why not keep it all for yourself?_

 _Pacifica: Because it was the right thing to do._

Right thing to do? RIGHT THING TO DO! Stealing from your parents is THE RIGHT THING TO DO?

 _Interviewer: I know you're expecting a little girl, what do you want her to be able to get out of this when she's older?_

 _Pacifica: I want he to know what her mother overcame. I want her to know no matter what she faces in life she can overcome it. She's always going to have choices in life, and I want her to choose to do good._

A daughter? Another little Pacifica. Perfect!

Preston through the letter away and fumed in the corner.

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"Northwest, time to go to the cafeteria for lunch."

"GO AWAY!" Priscilla wailed as she huddled on her bed, rocking back and forth, crying.

"What on earth?" the guard asked.

Priscilla all but shoved the letter towards her. "READ THIS!"

The guard did so. "Hmph. Well, good ridance."

"How can you say that!" Priscilla wailed. "Those were my belongings!"

"Well, that's what you get for beating up your little girl and getting locked up."

"How could she do this to me, I'm her mother!"

"Yeah, her mother. Maybe if you'd actually been any kind of real mother you wouldn't be in this situation."

"I now have nothing!"

"Neither did she when she ran away from you."

"That was her choice!"

The guard sniffed. "Almost three years in the hole and you still don't get it. Now c'mon, it's dinner time."

"I'm not hungry."

"I didn't ask you, up."

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"You sent them the news article!?" Wendy shouted as she sat across from the couple, enjoying Lazy Susan's half princed Sunday lunch. "That so metal! Up top!"

Pacifica blushed, high-fiving her.

"Me too!" Logan begged, holding up his chubby hand. Pacifica relented and gave him a high-five.

"Yeah, I'm actually kind of second guessing-"

"Are you kidding?" Wendy cheered. "That is, like, perfect karma right there! Besides, they were going to find out all the moolah was gone eventually. This way is much better than them just never knowing."

"Yeah, I guess," Pacifica shrugged.

"The important thing is that they have nothing they can use to hire anyone to come after you again," Dipper stated, holding her hand.

Pacifica smiled and nodded. No more money. No more stalkers. She, her husband, and her little girl were safe. As for her parents, well, they were probably lamenting away in their cells right now, she thought.

She was right.


	30. Day 282

**Day 282:**

"Alright, remember, this begins your two-week break class," Dipper announced as his students began packing up to leave.

"Tell your wife that I wish you both good luck," one of the students called as she left.

"Thank you," Dipper smiled as he packed his stuff and left. Pacifica was about a week from her due date, but the ultrasounds had shown that Persia was big and healthy enough that she could come at any moment. Dipper took the last of his notes, packed them away, and then headed out the door. He drove home, opened the door, and was greeted by his wife at the door.

"Good, you're home, let's go," she said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Dipper asked.

"Time to have this baby!"

"You're in labour!?" Dipper's eyes grew wide.

"Not yet, but I will be soon. Because this baby is coming now!"

Dipper sighed and rolled his eyes. "Princess, that's not how that works."

"But I want her out now!" Pacifica whined.

Dipper sighed, but his bags down, and pulled her into a hug. "I know. I know you do. It will be soon, though."

"Not soon enough," Pacifica groaned as she walked over to the couch and slowly lowered herself onto it. "Everything hurts. I can't sleep. I feel like I'm on my period!"

"Anything stronger than that?" Dipper asked. Pacifica had started having Braxton Hicks about a week ago.

"No, not really," Pacifica let out a loud gron. "UGH! I want her out!"

Dipper sat down on the couch next to her, and began playing with her hair. His phone dinged. Her pulled it out and looked. It was from Mabel to the group message she'd created two weeks ago, which she titled "VIP's to Persia." It included her, Dipper, Mabel, Stan, Ford, Wendy, and Soos. Basically, the parents, and the few people that were expected to be in the waiting room once Persia finally decided to come.

The message read: "Anything? :D"

Dipper texted back. "No. Not yet."

Mabel quickly texted back "Aw, poop!"

Dipper turned his attention back to his wife. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Help me get to bed," Pacifica mumbled. Dipper stood, helped his wife to her feet, helped her up the stairs, and began tucking her in. She stopped him, though, and all but attacked him in a passionate kiss.

"Not that I'm complaining but-"

"Sex can help start labor," Pacifica quickly explained.

Dipper couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "As inviting as that sounds, you hardly slept any last night, so why don't you try to get some rest?"

Pacifica groaned. "I think that's impossible at this point!"

"Well, at least try. I'll be around if you need me," he kissed her forehead and then walked back downstairs to check the bags they already had set up. He pulled out the list on his phone and ran through the items, yet again.

Their birthplan: natural water birth.

Two bathrobes, leggings, long shirts, pajamas, and underwear for Pacifica after the birth.

Changes of clothes for him after the birth.

The sports bra and t-shirt dress for the actual labor.

Swim trunks for Dipper during the birth.

Socks, slippers, flip-flops.

Hair brush and hair ties.

Pillows.

Toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm.

Snacks and drinks.

Headphones and an MP3.

Cards for games should things go slow.

A hand help fan for him to use to maybe make Pacifica more comfortable during the labor.

Phone chargers.

A going home outfit for Persia (including a jacket since it was still cold out).

Diapers.

Extra baby blankets.

And the car seat.

They had everything they needed, same as the last few times. Dipper sighed and nodded in satisfaction. He wandered into the kitchen, got a snack, then sat down on the couch to watch some TV and to grade assignments. He made sure to keep the volume down so he could hear Pacifica if she should call him.

His phone dinged again.

It was Wendy this time. "How is P doing?"

He texted back: "Miserable."

"Yup. I remeber those days. Just a little longer Pazzy!"

Dipper went back to grading. He had gotten through abotu half the assignments when he heard a faint "Dipper?" from upstairs.

He put his stuff aside and went upstairs. Pacifica was seated on their bed, face screwed up in a grimace.

"Pacifica?" Dipper's heart skipped a beat.

"My back is killing me, can you rub it please?" Pacifica begged.

Dipper let out a small sigh. "Yes, of course."

He sat behind her and began massaging her back.

"Thank you," Pacifica sighed. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They were quiet for a while. Dipper continued rubbing her back until she suddenly gasped.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch," Pacifica hissed.

"Princess?" Dipper's heart skipped a beat.

"Ouch, ouch, OUCH!"

"Pacifica, are you having-"

"I don't know," Pacifica gasped. "I...I think so?"

Dipper pulled his phone out again. "Okay, well, I'm starting a timer, so you tell me if you feel anything like that again."

Pacifica nodded and began to stuggled to stand up.

"What are you doing?"

"I wanna take a walk," Pacifica answered. "Maybe it will speed it along."

"Okay, hang on a second." Dipper got his and Pacifica's coats. He slipped his wife's on over her shoulder, then set his on, and opened the door for them. They walked hand in hand downthe side walk.

"Feeling okay?" Dipper asked.

"As okay as I can feel," Pacifica answered.

Dipper nodded and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. "We're almost there, Princess. Any minute now and our little Peanut will be here."

Pacifica smiled softly as they continued on. After a few moments Pacifica stopped and gasped again.

"Ow...okay, yeah, I think that was a contraction."

Dipper checked his phone. "Twenty minutes."

"When are we supposed to head to the hospital?" Pacifica asked.

"When they get to five minutes apart, or when your water breaks."

"Darn it!" Pacifica mumbled.

"But, hey, you're having contractions," Dipper pointed out. "So it will be soon."

"Let's keep walking, maybe I'll have some more," Pacifica said, grabbing his hand.

Dipper chuckled. "Wow, you are really ready to get this baby out."

"Uh-huh!"

They walked hand-in-hand for a little while longer, until the sun started setting. They started heading back when Pacifica stopped and gasped again.

"Okay, breathe," Dipper set his hands on her back and drew her close. They still weren't close enough for them to head to the hospital, so he wasn't worried ye-

"Dipper!" Pacifica suddenly squealed.

"What's wrong?" Dipper asked, taking a step back. Pacifica was lookind down at her feet, where a small puddle was forming.

Dipper's heart skipped a beat. "It that-"

Pacifica nodded. "My water broke."


	31. Happy Birthday!

**Happy Birthday!**

"Make room! Auntie-to-be coming through!" Mabel's voice rang all the way down the hall as she raced towards birth room 13. She busted through the door to find Pacifica already dressed in a hospital robe and baggy t-shirt dress, lying in a bed. Dipper sat in a rocking chair next to her. Across the other side of the room was a tub. In between the tub and bed was a weighing and cleaning station.

"Well, hi there," Dipper said as his sister came rushing towards them.

"Did I miss anything?" Mabel asked.

"Nope," Pacifica answered, running her hands over her belly. Pretty soon she wouldn't be able to feel her baby girl moving around inside of her. "Just check-in, that's all."

"Well, what did they say?" Mabel asked, plopping on to the bed next to Pacifica.

"Please don't do that," Dipper scolded.

"Why not?" Mabel demanded to know.

"She's about to have a baby, give her some space."

"It's fine, love," Pacifica rolled her eyes. None the less, Dipper glowered at his sister, and she discreetly got off the bed.

"Well, my water broke," Pacifica explained. "We got here, they checked me, in, and I'm 3 centime-oh!" Pacifica put a hand to her side as a contraction hit.

"Okay," Dipper stood and set a hand on her shoulder. "Do remember to breathe."

Pacifica nodded as she took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. She repeated this a couple more times before a nurse came in.

"Oh, well, that's a good sign," the nurse smiled as she walked to Pacifica's side. Pacifica relaxed as the contraction left.

"How long was that one, dad?"

"31.5 seconds," Dipper answered.

"Sheesh, getting all specific up in here," Mabel chuckled as Dipper glowered at her again.

"You're new," the nurse said as she turned to Mabel, casuing everyone to chuckle. "I'm not going crazy, you weren't in here last time I cam by, were you?"

"No, I just got here," Mabel answered. "Hi. I'm the auntie."

"Aw, you're Auntie?" th nurse brightened up as she peaked under the blanket covering the lower half of Pacifica's body.

"Yeah."

"You excited?"

Mabel nodded eagerly. "You have no idea!"

The nurse checked Pacifica and then turned back to the couple. "Okay, so you're in between 3 and 4 centimeters right now. So, things are progressing. It's still going to be a while before you can push, though."

Pacifica nodded.

"My advice to you, would be to get as much rest as you possibly can and try not to get too excited. You've got a long day ahead of you."

The nurse left and Pacifica frowned. "How am I supposed to rest when I'm getting ready to have-"

A knock came at the door. Stan and Ford poked their heads in.

"There's the mom of the hour!" Stan cheered as he walked to Pacifica's side.

"It going to be more than an hour before this baby gets here," Pacifica groaned.

"As to be expected," Ford nodded as he patted her head. "How are you holding up."

"So far so good, but I'm not even half-way dialated, so…"

"Bah!" Stan waved his hand. "You'll do fine. You've made it this far. Hard part doesn't even start until after the baby's born."

"Thanks, I think?" Pacifica replied.

"You're welcome."

"So, hi guys," Dipper cut in.

"Hey," Stan patted him on the shoulder. "Sorry, Dad, you ain't the one giving birth so you don't matter right now."

Everyone laughed.

"Well, he's not wrong," Dipper shrugged.

"In all seriousness, though, how are you holding up, Sport?" Ford asked.

"Not panicking yet are you?" Stan chuckled.

"He's not allowed to," Pacifica answered. "He's gotta help me get through this."

Dipper chuckled, but on the inside he was…

...well, he didn't know what he was. He supposed he was nervous, but not nearly as nervous as he should have been. It appeared that the reality hadn't caught up to him yet.

"I'm doing alright," he answered, though he wasn't sure how truthful it was.

"Well, you just take care fo your lady, and take care of your self!" Ford instructed. "You're no help to anyone if you're not well."

"Like passed out. Fainted. Unconcious. Vomitting from the pressure," Stan listed.

"Not helping," Dipper retorted. He said it in a joking matter, but he was kind of serious. All of those things were distinct possibilities.

Pacifica began laughing, then another contraction hit. Dipper walked back to her side, holding her hand through it.

"Should we leave?" Stan questioned, awkwardly. The plan had always been that Dipper would be the only one outside the photographer and doctors to be present for the birth. The parents-to-be had said they didn't mind a little visiting before thngs really got rolling, though.

This contraction lasted 30 seconds before it disappeared, and Pacifica let out a sigh of relief.

"Didn't even scream, good girl!" Mabel cheered.

"Those aren't the big ones," Pacifica grumbled.

"Oh, well, then you might need to take that back, doll," Stan said to Mabel.

"Stanley!" Ford scolded.

"Hey, as long as she doesn't shatter every window in this building, we'll call it a win," Mabel said.

Pacifica chuckled again, despite her ever growing nerves that were beginning to show on her face.

"Guys, try not to get her too excited, she's supposed to be resting," Dipper said.

"Oh, then I should just go," Stan began backing away to the door, hands lifted, earning another round of laughter. He stopped at the door, smile on his face, then returned to give Pacifica a hug.

"You're going to do great, sweetie."

"Thanks," Pacifica whispered.

He stood up and patted Dipper on the shoulders. "Hang in there, Dad."

"Will do," Dipper said as the two men hugged and Stan left.

Mabel raced up to the hug the couple next.

"Auntie will see you soon, Persia," she said to Pacifica's belly before skipping out.

"I better go make sure those two stay out of trouble," Ford said as he shook Dipper's hand.

"Good luck, son," he smiled before hugging Pacifica. "Stay strong," he whispered to her and then left the two alone.

Pacifica rubbed her belly as she stared down at it.

Today. Their little girl was coming today.

"Try to rest, Princess," Dipper told her, running a hand through her hair.

"I don't see how that's possible," Pacifica replied.

Dipper chuckled softly. "Hence why I said 'try.'"

Pacifica laid down on her side, and Dipper walked to the wall to turn the lights out.

"Dipper?" she asked softly.

"Yes?"

"C'mere," Pacifica reached out a hand to him.

Dipper walked to her, laid down in the bed next to her, and set one arm around her, the other hand tangling itself in her hair. After a few silent minutes another contraction hit. Pacifica gripped onto his shirt, hissing through her teeth.

"Breathe, relax," Dipper reminded her.

This one lasted 32 seconds. Pacifica snuggled closer to him once it was gone, groaning in pain and fear.

"You're okay," Dipper held her closer. "I'm right here."

At some point she dozed off, but woke up when the next conraction hit. Dipper coached her through it, and then she dozed back off. This pattern continued for quite some time. Every now and then Dipper himself dozed off, but he always woke back up when he felt Pacifica tensing. He'd encourage her through it, then watch lovingly as she slept. There was something oddly peaceful about the experience; just getting to lie there, holding his wife in his arms and comfort her as they waited for the moment their little girl would be born to them.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before the nurse came back to check on her.

"Alright, you're at 4 centimeters now."

"That's it?" Pacifica grumbled.

"I know, it's discouraging when these things go slow," the nurse said. "But do remember that this is your first baby. They usually come slower than others."

Pacifica grumbled again, but nodded.

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"Wendy! Logan!" Mabel cheered as she saw said mother and son racing into the waiting room, Wendy holding Logan on her hip.

"So sorry! I didn't see the text, I was helping Soos unload some new merch. He's getting Melody and Abuelita, they're on their way." Wendy set Logan down. "What did we miss?"

"Not much. She was only in between 3-4 centi-"

 _Ding!_

Everyone looked at their phones.

Dipper: _Made it to 4._

"Ugh! This is going so slow!" Mabel complained.

"We've only been here an hour and a half, Mabel," Ford reminded her. "Most first time labors last anywhere from 8-15 hours."

"AUGH!" Mabel cried.

"Heck, mine lasted 18," Wendy added.

"Was it really that long?" Stan asked.

"Yup," Wendy answered.

"Huh. What else was going on then, because I don't remember-"

"The trial," Ford answered before Stan could even finish.

"Oh, that monstrosity!" Stan exclaimed. "Yeah, the whole trial is kind of a blur in my mind."

"Glad that's over," Wendy nodded as she took a seat.

"The trial or Logan's birth?" Mabel asked.

"Yes," Wendy answered.

The doors opened again and the Ramirez family all came rushing in, carrying armfuls of stuffed animals, flowers, balloons, and banners.

"Whoa, trying to out do us there, Soos?" Wendy asked.

"Nah, but I had a feeling you dudes would be too excited to get anything befre getting here, so I got something for all of us."

"He's so thoughtful!" Melody bragged.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!" Logan cheered as he jumped up and down in front of Wendy.

"Logan, Logan, Logan," Wendy answered back.

"W'at we doin' herwe? W'at 'appenin'?"

"Well," Wendy scooped her son into her lap. "You're Aunt Pacifica and Uncled Dipper are about to have a baby."

"A baby!?"

Everyone laughed at the little boy's excited and slightly confused face.

"Yup, you're having a little cousin," Wendy nodded.

"Little baby Persia!" Mabel cheered. "Can you say 'Persia?'"

"Pur...Pur…'

"Persia!"

"Pur-swah!"

"Eh, that's a start," Stan shrugged.

"Pur-Swah!"

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"Babe, help me up," Pacifica begged.

"Wha-"

"I'm going to go crazy if I have to stay lying down another minute!" Pacifica explained. Dipper helped her to her feet just as another contraction hit. Pacifica had to cling to her husband to keep her knees from buckling.

"Okay, that one was definately stronger than the last ones," she gasped once it was gone.

"You wanna lie back down?" Dipper asked.

"No, again, I'll go crazy if I-"

"Okay, okay."

The two walked several laps around the maternity ward, Pacifica having to stop and lean against Dipper every now and then when contractions hit. After about the 8th lap Pacifica's feet began to hurt, and she was getting bored with just walking in circles. Dipper led her back to their room and began massaging her feet.

The nurse came back in to check her.

"You're at 5 now!"

"UGH!" Pacifica looked down at her belly. "Mommy would appreciate it if you'd hurry this along!" She leaned back against her hands.

Dipper looked through their bags. "We've got some cards here we could play to pass the time."

They decided on go fish. Yeah, it was basic, but that meant it was easy to keep up with in between the contaction pauses. After about five rounds, though, the game grew boring as well.

"Maybe you should try getting some more res-"

"OH!" Pacifica gasped, almost doubling over. "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, OUCH!"

"Oh, boy. Okay, love, breathe. There you go," Dipper rubbed her back.

Pacifica shook her head as the contraction lightened up. "I think the ship has sailed for getting rest."

Pacifica reached for her phone, Dipper handed it to her. She opened google.

"...moving around can help speed labor along. So, back to walking laps around the maternity ward, huh? Perfect!"

"Not necessarily. Dipper opened an app on his phone, set it on the table next to the bed, and stood to his feet. Slow jazz music began playing.

"May I have this dance, m'lady?"

Pacifica smiled as her husband helped her to feet. He took her hands and set them on his shoulder as he set both arms around her lower back. They gently swayed back and forth to the music. After a few moments a contraction hit. Pacifica gripped onto Dipper's shoulders to hold herself up as he tightened his grip around her waist.

At some point the photographer arrived. Neither of them paid her much mind as they continued in their dance. Pacifica gasped in pain as another contraction hit. This one was much stronger than any of the past contractions. She let out a small groan.

Dipper sensed that this one was much more intense and helped her over to the rocking chair. She sat down without arguement as forced her breath to be regular. The contraction died down, and was imediately replaced by another, even more intense one. Pacifica groaned loudly.

"Want me to call the nurse?" Dipper asked, concern in his voice. Pacifica nodded. He walked to the hall. He promptly returned with the nurse.

"Oh! You're at 7.5 centimeters so, yeah things are about to get really intense really quick. Now would probably be a good time to get in the tub if you're still planning on a water birth."

Pacifica nodded slowly.

"You wanna do that?" Dipper asked.

Pacifica nodded. The nurse began filling the tub as Dipper stayed with Pacifica. The contractions were becoming more and more common now, and muc more intense. Dipper helped her to her feet, and into the tub.

She let out a sigh of relief as she lowered herself into the water. The warmth did help alleviate some of the cramping in her back and abdomen. Dipper knelt down to the tub. Pacifica leaned against the side of the tub near where Dipper was kneeling. He reach over the railing and set his hands on her lower back, doing his best to massage the pain away.

Yet another contraction hit, Pacifica leaned her forehead on the side of the tub as she let out a loud moan.

 _Holy Smokes!_ Dipper thought as he watched her. Reality was finally catching up to him. She was in labor! Pacifica Pines, his wife, his Pacifica was in labor with their baby. Their little girl. Pacifica groaned again, snapping him out of his trance.

"You want me in there with you now, later, or never?" he asked.

"Just keep rubbing my back, I don't care," Pacifica grumbled, her voice muffled by the side of the tub she still had her face leaned against.

Dipper set on hand on the back of her head and continued massaging her lower back with the other hand. He noticed after a few minutes that her hair had started falling out of the messy bun she'd put it up in when they first got to the hospital. He stood up, got the bursh from their bag, and began brushing and redoing her hair.

"AUGH!" Pacifica cried out. Dipper jumped at the sound, his heart stopping momentarily.

"You're at 9 centimeters, you are almost there!" the nurse cheered.

"Dipp...Dipper…" Pacifica whimpered before letting out another cry of pain.

"Yes?"

"H...Hol-Oh, gos-AUGH!"

Dipper's throat tightened at the sight of her in so much pain, but he swallowed the tightness away and answered. "Hold you?"

Pacifica nodded.

"You want me in there now?"

She nodded again.

"Okay, give me two seconds."

Dipper slipped into the bathroom to change into his swim trunks and then slipped into the tub with her, pulling her into his arms. She buried her face against his chest as he set his hands against her back and continued rubbing circles onto it as he gently rocked her back and forth. Pacifica sniffled, and began crying softly against him.

"Sh, it's okay Princess, don't cry."

"I can't do this!" Pacifica whimpered. "I can't do this!"

"Yes you can," Dipper whispered to her. "Look how far you've come. You're almost there."

"Why did I choose to go natural, aga-AH!"

Dipper flinched at her screams. He wanted this to just be over, he was tired of seeing her in so much pain. He kissed her cheek and rocked her gently once again.

"You're almost there, love," he reminded her. "Just a little while longer and you'll be able to-"

"Alright, Pacifica, looks like you're fully dialated," the nurse called. She pressed the button to call for the doctor.

 _Oh, crap! Oh, crap! It's happening! This is it! Holy smokes! Holy sh-no, I can't use that term, I'm about to be a dad. I'M ABOUT TO BE A DAD!_

The doctor came in, checked Pacifica again, and nodded.

"Alright, looks like we're good to go."

 _I'm not!_ Dipper thought to himself.

"When you feel the next contraction hit I want you to take a deep breath and push for ten seconds, okay?"

 _HOLY SMOKES THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!_

Pacifica nodded as she began turning herself.

 _Wait, what am I supposed to be doing?_ Dipper thought. _Oh, right!_ He moved back until his back was pressed against the wall of the tub, and then helped Pacifica to sit between his legs and lean her back against his chest.

 _Just don't look down, don't look down!_ Dipper kept repeating to himself as he slipped his hands into hers. Pacifica suddenly took a deep breath.

 _Oh my gosh, she's pushing, this is really happening!_

"Alright, Pacifica, you're going to have to push harder than that."

"I'm sorry, I can't," Pacifica cried.

"Yes you can," Dipper whispered as he nuzzled his face into her hair, botht o comfort him and to keep him from accidentally looking down and seeing something that might make him faint. That was the last thing either of them needed.

"Next contraction I want you to roll your chin to your chest and give it everything you've got," the doctor instructed.

Pacifica nodded slowly, taking deep breath, then did as she was instructed.

"There you go, that's it," the doctor cheered.

"I told you," Dipper whispered to her. "I told you that you could do it."

Pacifica took in a deep breath, letting out a high pitch squeal of pain before pushing yet again. And again. And again.

"Okay, okay, take a quick break. You don't want to burn yourself out."

Pacifica whimpered in pain as she collapsed against Dipper, gasping for breath. Dipper ran a hand over her hair and kissed her cheek.

"I can't...I can't…"

"You're doing it," Dipper told her. "You're doing it right now. You're having a baby."

"I don't want to have a baby anymore! I quit!"

"You can't quit, love."

"Shut up, you're the one that got me into this mess in the first place."

"Yeah, well, tell me more about it after the baby gets here."

"Oh you can bet I will-oh!"

"Alright, time to start pushing again," the doctor instructed.

Pacifica rolled her chin up to her chest and pushed again. She gasped and let out a loud scream that caused Dipper to tremble.

"Why won't this baby get out of me!?"

"It's coming, it's coming. We can already see the top of the head, it's coming."

"Really?" Pacifica's eyes lit up with hope that her ordeal would soon be over.

"Yup, you're almost there."

Pacifica nodded, seemingly encouraged by this and began pushing again.

"That's it, that's it," the doctor encouraged. "Good girl."

"Come on, Princess, you can do it," Dipper encouraged, butterflies fluttering a tornado in the pit of his stomach.

Pacifica screamed another bone chilling scream, throwing her head back in pain, busting Dipper in the nose.

"Ouch!"

"You're saying 'ouch!?'" Pacifica thundered.

"Erm...no…" He lied as rubbed his nose, checking to see that it wasn't broken. It wasn't, but he could feel a small trickled of blood coming out of his left nostril. He pinched it closed and focused back on his wife.

"You're almost there, Pacifica. She's coming."

"Is she really?" Pacifica sounded doubtful.

"Yes."

"She's a blondie like her mom," the nurse piped up.

 _A blondie like her mom? A little Pacifica?_ Something about that thought both enthralled Dipper and terrified him.

Pacifica screamed yet again, shattering him once more from his trance.

"That's right, just a little more."

She stopped to rest and gasped for breath. Dipper nuzzled his face into her hair again. "You're almost there. We've almost got our little girl."

Pacifica let out a low moan of pain before rolling her chin up and ushing again.

"That's it, that's it, that's it," the doctor encouraged. "Almost there."

Pacifica's hands closed down like iron clamps around Dipper's hands, turning his fingers white. He didn't care though. He just wanted this to be over so Pacifica wouldn't have to be in pain anymore.

"One more push, that's it…"

Pacifica screamed.

"Come on, you're so close," the nurse cheered. "One more."

Pacifica rolled her chin up again and let an ear piercing shriek.

"And here she is!"

Dipper snapped his head up to see a tiny baby being lifted out of the water. The little girl's face tightened into a grimace before she let out a tiny whimper. Pacifica gasped and let out another sob, this one wasn't out of pain though, it was out of overwhelmed joy.

"Go on mom, take hold your baby," the doctor encouraged. Pacifica let go of Dipper's hands and gently took the baby into her arms. The baby whimpered again before letting out a loud cry.

"Oh," Pacifica gasped. "Oh my goodness, you're finally here!"

Dipper could only stare in wonder as the tiny baby continued crying. He slowly reached out a shaking hand and set ontop of the little girl's head.

His little girl.

He slowly ran a finger over her fine, baby hair. Like the nurse said, she was blond like her mother. He gently took one of her hands in his. She opened her fingers and clasped them around his thumb. He gasped as she clung to his finger. She was really here. They really just had a baby.

He felt his throat getting tight and his vision starting to blur as he leaned down, over Pacifica's shoulder, and gave their newborn daughter a kiss on the forehead.

Pacifica smiled as she watched him, and then gasped when he quickly turned his head away to wipe a few tears off his face.

"Aw, babe," she gasped as he turned back to her, eyes still brimmed with joyful tears, two of which managed to escape and trickle down his face.

"No, don't do that," Pacifica said as she repostioned their daughter so she culd reach up and wipe them away for him. "You're going to make me cry."

Dipper chuckled. "Sorry I can't...I can't…" He covered his face in his hand as even more tears fell.

"Dipper," Pacifica gasped, tears now beginning to run down her face.

The nurse and doctor rolled the weighing and cleaning trays over to the side of the tub and gently took the baby from Pacifica to set on the weights. Dipper took the opportunity to give his wife a very passionate kiss.

"I told you that you could do it."

Pacifica could only smile. She was exhausted and sore but she could not be happier. She couldn't remember a time sh'e been more overwhelmed with joy since hers and Dipper's wedding day.

The nurse began helping Pacifica out of the tub. Dipper helped her to the bathroom to change into a dry night gown before leading her back to the bed.

"Dad, you want to come cut the chord?" the doctor asked.

"Um, yeah!" Dipper smiled. While the nurse checked on Pacifica to make sure everything was alright, Dipper walked over to cut the chord. Once that was done he stayed, holding his daughter's tiny hand in his as the doctor checked to make sure everythign was alright.

"So, do we already have a name picked out?"

"Persia Avril," Dipper answered. It felt almost strange saying it now. For the past few months Persia had been an idea. Something far off in the future. Yet now, all of a sudden, here she was, staring up at him with big, curious, bue eyes.

Blue eyes. Like Pacifica.

The doctor set her on the scale to get her weight.

"Let's see… six pounds, three ounces. She's a tiny little thing."

Dipper grinned. "Tiny little Peanut."

The doctor then took her body measurements, foot prints, and the gave Persia her first round of eyedrops, and her vitamin K shot. Obviously she did not like the shot too much and screamed and cried.

"Aw, sh, sh, sh," Dipper crooned as he ran a hand over her hair. "It's okay. It's okay, Peanut, you're okay."

Persia clasped her tiny hands, or at least tried to clasp her tiny hands around her father's much bigger one as she kept crying. Dipper traced her tiny jawline with his finger.

"It's alright, I'm right here," he promised her.

The doctor finished checking up on the baby, put on her diaper, hat, and swaddled her up. "Weight, 6.3. Gender, Female. State: Healthy. Date and time of birth: March 10th, 5:37 A.M."

 _March 10th?_ Dipper thought in awe. When they'd come to the hospital is was still March 9th. He turned and looked over at Pacifica, who was now lying down on the bed, propped up by a stack of pillows. She'd just labored for 16 hours to bring their little girl into the world, and she had taken it like a champ. Dipper's eyes passed from his wife, to his daughter, and back to his wife.

 _I am litterally the luckiest man alive._

"Alright, you can take her dad."

Dipper's heart skipped a beat. "I can hold her?"

"Well, yeah," the doctor chuckled. "She's your baby, isn't she?"

Dipper stared down at the tiny little girl. She was so small. So fragile. How was he supposed to hold her. None the less, with shaking hands, he reached down, set one hand under her head, and one hand under her bum, and lifted her up to him. He caefully moved he to the crook her his arm. The tears began brimming his eyes again as the doctor and nurse left, letting the new family have some time alone.

Pacifica smiled as she watched her husband gently rock their baby back and forth, staring at her in pure wonder.

"Hey there," he whispered softly. "Hey there, Persia. I'm your dad."

Persia stared up at him, innocent eyes full of curiosity as she began placing a face with the voice she'd heard talking to her the past few months. Dipper leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Pacifica felt her throat tightening. She thought back to her own father and how cold, disconnected, abusive, unloving he was to her. How completely and utterly different was the new father standing in front of her, cooing softly to their tiny daughter, rocking her gently, kissing her face. He was in his own little father-daughter world, totally smitten by their little angel.

"I knew loving father would be a good look for you," Pacifica smiled. Dipper turned to her, joy radiating off every aspect of him.

"Yeah?" he asked. Pacifica nodded as he walked to sit on the side of the bed and passed their baby to her.

"Hi, Persia," she crooned as she cradled the baby to her chest. "Thanks for finally coming out of me."

Dipper laughed and then kissed the top of her head.

"You missed, babe," Pacifica playfully snapped at him.

Dipper smiled, then leaned down and kissed her lips. Persia let out a rather loud coo.

"Oh, don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you, darling," Pacifica promised as she kissed her daughters forehead. Dipper slipped his arm around his wife's shoulders as they continued to watch over their little Persia Avril Pines.


	32. Welcome to the Family

**Welcome to the Family:**

Dipper couldn't help but chuckle when he entered the waiting room. Stan and Ford were pacing, arm in arm, up and down the legnth of the room, hands in their pockets, brows furrowed. Soos and Melody were playing catch with a crumpled piece of paper. Abuelita was asleep. Logan was asleep in Wendy's lap as she ran her fingers through his hair.. Mabel was lying in the floor, watching a ceiling fan as it spun around and around and around.

"...a burrito flew around my room before you came…no manches."

"What?" Stan questioned as he stopped his and Ford's pacing.

"It's a vine you uncultured swine!" Mabel answered.

"That's a long name for a climbing plant," Ford mused.

"Not that kind of vine!" Mabel said in a horrified voice. "I have failed you two as a niece!"

"Ahem," Dipper made his presence known.

Everyone, including a snoozing Abuelita, jumped up at the sound and raced to Dipper.

"And?" they all asked at once.

Dipper smiled as he answered. "She's here."

Loud screams of excitement that probably shook the entire hospital erupted as Dipper was smothered in hugs and cheers.

"Congratulations, son," Ford patted Dipper on the back.

"How's Pacifica?" Wendy asked.

"Tired, but fine. She did amazing!"

"Well, of course she did," Stan said. "Tough as nails, that one."

"Enough chit-chat, when can we see her!?" Mabel began shaking her brother violently.

"As soon as you stop choking me," Dipper said.

"Oh!" Mabel released him. "Okay I let go of you, vamanos!"

"Fine, but if you get that rough with my daughter I'll hurt you," Dipper warned his sister.

Stan chuckled. "She's not even a full day old yet and you've already got overprotective-daddy syndrome."

"Please," Mabel snickered. "He's had that since Pacifica took the test."

"Accurate," Soos agreed.

Dipper led them down the hall to the recovery room he, Pacifica, and Persia had been moved to about an hour after the birth. He slowly opened the door and poked his head in. Pacifica was leaned against a pile of pillows, holding Persia in her arms, an exhausted but proud look on her face.

"Prepare to be invaded, Princess," he warned before opening the door all the way.

"Auntie first! Auntie first! Auntie first!" Mabel yelled as she raced in and sped to Pacifica's bedside, leadning over to look at the baby.

"Mabel, careful!" Dipper snapped.

Mabel ignored him as she gasped in wonder at the sight of Persia.

"Oh my goodness!" Mabel whispered, clapping a hand to her mouth. "Oh my gosh, guys!" she turned watery eyed, to her brother, who was watching on with a smile on her face.

"She's precious, you guys!" Mabel gasped again.

"You want to hold her?" Pacifica asked.

Mabel nodded eagerly and Pacifica carefully passed Persia to her. Mabel gasped again as she took the little girl into her arms. Mabel could only stare, jaw dropped as she cradled her niece closer.

"Oh my gosh!" she gasped again. "Hi, there, Persia. It's your Auntie Mabel. You don't know me yet but we're going to be friiiiiieeeeeends."

Persia let out a small yawn, casuing her aunt to squeak at the adorableness.

"Oh my gosh!" she softly squeed. "She's too precious, I'm gonna die!"

"Well pass her here before you do that," stan ordered.

"I just got her!" Mabel protested.

"Like you're not going to get another chance. There's a whole room of people here who want to meet the little tyke."

Mabel reluctantly passed the baby onto Stan.

"Now, let's get a look at you kiddo. Aw," Stan's face melted into a look of pure love as he held her. "This one's gonna be a heartbreaker, I can already tell. Aren't you, Persia?"

Persia only stared up at him, sucking on her hand.

"Yeah, you are," Stan grinned. "You're gonna break all the hearts, what do you think, Ford?"

Stan passed the baby onto his brother who only stared in wonder at her for the first few moments, smiling softly.

"Not gonna say anything, bro?" Stan asked.

Ford gently rocked Persia back and forth. "Greetings there, little one," he finally spoke up. "And welcome to the family."

As Ford rocked his new grate niece Logan scampered over to Pacifica's bed, where Soos was tying off all the balloons they'd brought.

"Paz Paz, I got baby somet'in!" he called as he climbed onto the bed.

"You got the baby somthing, what is it?" Pacifica asked.

Logan pulled a small stuffed llama out from behind his back. Pacifica couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of it.

"And I didn't tell him to pick that one out," Wendy smiled as she walked to Pacifica's side. "He did that all on his own! How are you holding up?"

"Very tired, very sore, very happy," Pacifica answered.

"Sounds about right," Wendy nodded.

"Okay, Auntie's turn again," Mabel gently took Persia back into her arms. She cooed over her as the others gathered around to admire and welcome the newest member of their little family. Dipper smiled as he watched on, then noticed at some point in the meet and greet Pacifica had fallen asleep.

"Okay, now it's Daddy's turn," he stepped into the small circle and took his daughter back into his arms. "Mom's already asleep, and the doctors are probably going to come check on her soon. Technically there are no visiting hours right now so you guys shouldn't even be back here."

"I gotcha, I gotcha," Stan nodded solemenly. "We wouldn't want you getting in trouble either."

"Aw, but I just met her! I don't want to leave!" Mabel whined.

"You'll be seeing plenty more of her," Dipper promised.

Mabel sighed, relucntantly relenting as she and the others quietly slipped out. Dipper looked down at his daughter. She yawned a very wide yawn for a newborn.

"Tired, sweetheart?" he asked as he began pacing back and forth, rocking his daughter in his side to side. "Been a long day for you too hasn't it?"

Persia yawned again and snuggled closer to her father's chest. Dipper's heart swelled as he carefully repositioned her so she could listen to his heartbeat. He walked her around in circles until she fell asleep, and then laid her down in her bassinet next to Pacifica's bed. He kissed her forehead goodnight. He walked over to his wife, who was still asleep, and kissed her forehead as well before walking over to the couch that would be his bed for the night. It was not the most comfortable thing on the face of the planet, but it was all there was for him in this room and he was not leaving his girls to go home!

His girls. Dipper smiled as he got as comfortable as he could, watching Pacifica and Persia slwwping.

His girls.

He could get used to saying that.


	33. 1st Day Home

**First Day Home:**

"Watch your step," Dipper warned Pacifica as her opened the door to their house. Pacifica slowly walked in, Persia swaddled in her arms. Dipper brough their bags up to their bedroom as she stood in the foyer, bouncing their baby gently.

"Welcome home, Persia," she crooned. Persia stared up at her, grunting and sucking on her hand.

"Are you hungry?" Persia asked. Persia grunted in reply. Pacifica smiled and began climning the steps up to their bedroom.

"Careful, love," Dipper called as he came down from the dop of the steps and set a hand on her back, leading her up the stairs.

"I'm not helpless, babe. I just had a baby is all, I can handle climbing steps."

"Eh, this makes me feel better," Dipper shrugged as he led Pacifica to their bedroom. She lied doen on the bed and began fumbling to undo her shirt and bra to feed her baby. Dipper sat down next to her and ran a hand through her hair as she help Persia latch on.

"You doing okay?" he asked.

Pacifica nodded.

"Need anything?"

"Water?" Pacifica asked.

"Be right back," Dipper walked back downstairs, got a glass of water, and brought it up to his wife. She sipped on it as she fed their little girl. After a few minutes Persia finished. Pacifica re did her clothes and began to set the baby against her shoulder to burp her.

"Here," Dipper reached over. "Let me do that, you get some rest."

"I'm not even tired," Pacifica argued.

"Not yet, but I have a feeling we'll both be. Doctor said you should nap when she is napping, anyways."

"But she's not napping."

"She will be in a minute."

Pacifica sighed. "Okay," and she passed their daughter to him.

Dipper paced back and forth across their room and getnly patted her back until she burped, and then moved her to the crook of his arm.

"Bet that feels better, doesn't it?" he whispered to her. She yawned. Dipper sat down in a rocking chair, rocking and humming to her until she fell asleep. He then carefully set her down in the bassinet next to Pacifica's side of the bed and tiptoed downstairs to his office. He left the door open so he could hear if either of his girls needed him. He sat down his desk, open the drawer, and brought out a leather bound, red journal with the name "Persia" egraved in curving cursive letters on the front cover. He opened it, a faint smile playing on his face. He'd been writing in this journal for the past few months, and planned to for the next 18 years. He read over some of his earlier entries.

" _Hi, baby. It's me, your dad. I don't know your name yet, your mom and I just found out about you two days ago. I cannot begin to explain how excited we are. A little scared, sure, but we cannot wait to meet you, hold you, kiss, you, and just love you…"_

" _...We got to hear your heartbeat today. It was the best sound I've heard in my life…"_

" _Well, we told the rest of the family about you. Your aunt nearly strangled me she hugged me so tight. She's just a little excited. Everyone is. Your Great Grunkle Ford cried when he found out about you. We don't have a perfect family, little one. It's not like others. We're kind of like a patchwork quilt. Each of us came from disfuntional, broken families, and we joined together to make our own. It's a bit odd, but it works because we all love each other, and we love you..."_

" _I'm going to have to go away for a few months. I'm going to have to finish my school quickly so we can get ready for you. Believe me, I don't want to. But I know this is the only way I can give you the best chance in life possible, so that's what I'm going to do. I love you, Baby, and I will do anything for you and your Mommy..."_

" _...I'm terrified tonight, Baby. I'm scared for you and your mom. There are some bad people out there who want to do bad things to you. One day I'll tell you about them and what they did to your Mommy. Right now, however, I just want to be home with you. I want to hold your Mommy, and feel you move (even though Mommy tells me you are being pretty still), and tell you both that it's going to be okay. The last place I want to be is where I'm at now…"_

" _I got back yesterday. You finally moved! Mommy said you were just waiting on me to get home. Well, I'm home now baby, and I'm staying. I'm not sure what the future holds, but I can promise you that I will always be here for you. I love you, Baby, and I can't wait to meet you..."_

" _Hello, my beautiful Persia Avril Pines! You're Mommy and I found out you are a girl today. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit scared. I'm not exactly looking forward to having to fight armies of boys away, but I'll do it anyway! Sorry, I'm your dad, it's my job…"_

" _We finished setting up your nursery today. I hope you like it, your Mommy has been driving herself crazy trying to get it ready. You are going to be spiled, Persia. Your Mommy is going to lavish you in anything and everything she can. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm not going to be much better…"_

" _Persia, your Mommy is the most amazing woman alive. She is giving back to people who are stuck in stituations similar to hers in probably the most amazing way possible. She is using the money she got from the bad people who hurt her, and she's setting up a closet where they can get free clothes, hygenic products, anything they need. Funny thing is, she could have gone the easy route. She could have just donated the money to the shelter and say that she helped, but she decided to go the extra mile. She's always doing that, you know? Going the extra mile in everything she does, no matter what it is. I hope you get some of that from her. There are a lot of things I hope you get from her because she is the strongest, bravest, and most incredible person I've ever met. You're a lucky little girl to have her as your mom…"_

" _We're on the way to the hospital! I'll get to meet you soon! Starting to feel a little nauseous I'm so excited, though you probably would have been fine not knowing that…"_

" _...Persia you are absolutely perfect! I knew you would be, but I could never imagine just how perfect you'd be. I am stuggling to find the words to describe exactly what I'm feeling right now. It's almost like I thought I knew what love was, and then I held you for the first time. My whole life I've always worked hard to try and make something out of myself, but I never really understood why. Now I do. I want to make something of myself so that I can be sure that I can give you anyting and everything you'll need. I want you to have a good example to follow after. I want to give you as many opportunities to have the best life you can as possible. It's crazy! You're only an hour old and already my whole world is revolving around you. I love you so much my little Peanut."_

Dipper smiled as he picked his pen up and began writing a new entry.

" _We brought you home today. Now I guess is where the real adventure begins, and I can't wait. Of course there are going to be some bumps in the road. We'll have some good times, but also some bad. But at the end of it all we'll be a family. You've got a lot to learn, my little Peanut. Your Mommy and I will be here to teach you everything we know about life, learning, when to get along with people, and when to walk away and protect yourself. You'll have to be patient with us though. Niether of us really had parents, so we aren't exactly sure what we're doing. But we'll do our best, because you deserve it. So long as you never question that we love you and that you can always come to us with anything, though. I'll call that a win. I am so looking forward to seeing how your life plays out, Persia, and I am beyond honored that I'll be able to walk through it with you as your father. Daddy loves you, Peanut!"_

 **The End!**

 **AN:** **Thanks again for all the reviews, feedback, and support guys! If you guys have any ideas for more Gravity Falls stories you'd like me to write, I'm open to suggestions. I have nothing else planned at the moment (I might start a one-shot series of just family** **center fluff) but I will more than likely be back once I have time to come up with some ideas. Therefore, so long for now and remember...**

 **...REALITY IS AN ILLUSION, THE UNIVERS IS A HOLOGRAM, BUY GOLD, BYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEE!**


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